Exploring teachers’ learning through teaching experience: Formal opportunities, teaching experience, and personal characteristics

Our understanding of elementary teachers’ science subject matter knowledge (SMK) development through teaching experience is incomplete. In this study, we explored the relationships with factors that may be associated with SMK. 346 elementary teachers completed one test for evolution and another test for force. They provided information about formal opportunities (college science coursework, professional development programmes), features of teaching experience (years, required curriculum materials, weekly team interactions), and personal characteristics (interest in science, science identity). The strongest predictors of teachers’ science SMK were personal characteristics of interest and identity. Teaching more grade levels and being required to use curriculum materials were negatively associated with SMK for evolution. Interacting with colleagues at least once a week and years of experience were not related to SMK. Similarly, formal opportunities like college science coursework and hours in science professional development did not predict SMK.