Identification and measurement of elementary science teachers' subject matter knowledge about optics

The main purpose of this study is to identify and measure the subject matter knowledge of elementary science teachers about optics in physics. The study is a case study, a qualitative research. First, an open-ended questionnaire was developed in order to assess possible student responses to be used to measure subject matter knowledge of the science teachers. The questionnaire covers absorption, reflection and refraction in optics and consists of three-tier 14 questions. The questions were prepared according to the objectives in the 7th and 8th grade curriculum. Two expert opinions were taken to ensure the content validity. Then this open-ended exam was adminestered to 170 students in 9th grade. Student responses to each question were categorized to identify possible student responses. Using these student answers, a semi-structured interview protocol was prepared to determine the subject matter knowledge of science teachers about optics in physics. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with volunteer 5 science teachers from randomly selected different schools. Provided that the confidentiality of the teachers is protected, voice recorded interviews were transcribed. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive and content analysis. The codes and themes created were examined by two experts. The theoretical framework of this study is based on the definition of subject matter knowledge reported by Ball, Thames and Phelps (2008). In this context, themes related to common content knowledge, subject matter knowledge and proper use of terminology werecreated. Teacher statements for each question were placed in the tables in accordance with the themes and coding. Frequency and frequency percentages of teachers' statements were calculated as well. According to the findings of the study, it was seen that the teachers' common content knowledge and specialized content knowledge were at different frequencies and the frequency of terminology usage changed accordingly. 61.76% correct, 29.41% partially correct, 8.82% wrong common content knowledge, 92.64% correct use of common content knowledge terminology, and 7.35% wrong terminology were observed. 53,12% correct, 45% partially correct, 1,87% wrong specialized content knowledge, and 98,12% correct and 1,87% wrong terminology usage were observed. When these findings are examined, it was seen that over 50% of subject matter knowledge of science teachers about optics in physics was correct. On the other hand, it was observed that the correct specialized content knowledge was less than the correct common content knowledge. It is thought that such studies will be useful in measuring the subject matter knowledge of science teachers and preservce science teachers. Similar studies in different science subjects can make significant contributions to the literature. The findings of such studies may also contribute to pre-service and in-service training.