Teachers' self-assessment of subject matter knowledge

The study described in this chapter was concerned with the science subject matter knowledge of a group of primary teachers. One of the reasons identified for primary teachers' low confidence in teaching science is their lack of appropriate science content knowledge and several studies have shown a correlation between the low level of confidence of teachers or student ... [more]teachers in teaching science and their lack of appropriate knowledge of the area. The question of interest in this study is how well calibrated are primary teachers regarding their knowledge of science concepts. This study involved a small group of primary teachers about to embark on a year-long professional development program in science and technology. What did they know in terms of science subject matter, what did they think they knew and how did becoming aware of their own knowledge affect their view of themselves as teachers and learners and their subsequent learning?