Examining the role of Science Content Knowledge in early childhood classrooms: A scholarship of teaching and learning study of Grade R teachers

Mamontsuoe Lintle Maraisane ORCID iD 

Issue: Vol. 7 No. 2 2026 Article 4 pp.53 – 63
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2026724 Published online 11th March 2026.

© 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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This study investigates the relationship between Grade R teachers’ science content knowledge and their classroom practices within early childhood education contexts. This research explores how science content knowledge (CK) informs teaching practices among Grade R educators. Framed within the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) perspective, it responds to the gap in the literature on the influence of teachers’ science content knowledge in early childhood science education. Shulman’s Teacher Knowledge Framework and Ball et al.’s Content Knowledge for Teaching (CTK) form the theoretical framework of this study. The study adopted a mixed-methods sequential explanatory approach. The quantitative phase involved administering a structured CK survey to 100 Grade R teachers, followed by a qualitative phase with four purposively chosen participants. Qualitative data were collected through lesson plan reviews, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews. In relation to science content knowledge, the findings revealed that teachers possessed expected levels of common content knowledge and sufficient horizon content knowledge, but showed limited specialised content knowledge. Although their CK levels were moderate, the study found little to no significant impact of science CK on classroom practices. This suggests that mediating factors, such as the quality of teacher training, curriculum demands, and contextual constraints, shape pedagogical decisions more strongly than content knowledge alone. The study recommends professional development programmes that strengthen specialised content knowledge while addressing contextual challenges. By linking CK, classroom practice, and SoTL inquiry, the study advances the discourse on early childhood teacher education and highlights the need for context-sensitive, evidence-based professional development.

Keywords: Content knowledge, Early childhood education, teacher knowledge, science education, SoLT

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Dr. Mamontsuoe Lintle Maraisane is a Lecturer at the University of the Free State in the Department of Childhood Education. She has and continues to publish her work in accredited journals. Her research trajectory is on science education in early childhood, best classroom practices that incorporate technology for early childhood educators, and practitioners.

Maraisane, Mamontsuoe Lintle. “Examining the role of Science Content Knowledge in early childhood classrooms: A scholarship of teaching and learning study of Grade R teachers.” Journal of Education and Learning Technology 7, no.2 (2026): 53-63. https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2026724

© 2026 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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