The Role of Knowledge Management in Enhancing Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Elementary Science Teachers: Challenges and Perspectives with a Systematic Review Approach

Background and Objectives: Teaching experimental sciences at the elementary level is one of the most sensitive and challenging domains of any educational system, as the foundations of scientific thinking are formed during this period. The concept of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) is recognized as the central core of teaching expertise that distinguishes the teacher from a mere subject-matter specialist. Over time, this knowledge has been conceptualized at three levels: collective knowledge, personal knowledge, and enacted knowledge. Today, the effective implementation of knowledge management in schools faces serious challenges. Khodarahmi et al. (2024) demonstrated that the academic aspect of PCK is shared and teachable knowledge, whereas its classroom aspect is personal and context-dependent knowledge formed through teaching experience, reflection, and interaction with students. International research has shown that implementing knowledge management in schools faces obstacles such as time constraints, weak collaboration and trust culture, and limited digital skills (Hipolito-Martinez, 2025). In the Iranian educational system, these challenges are exacerbated by structural issues such as centralization, the absence of an efficient knowledge-sharing system, and teachers' limited access to authoritative scientific resources. Despite the abundance of research conducted in the domain of PCK in Iran, the majority of these studies have addressed the concept, components, or methods of developing this knowledge (Khakbaz, 2015; Pourbaghban et al., 2022; Nemati et al., 2022; Khodarahmi et al., 2024). What has remained neglected is the examination of the role of knowledge management as a systematic approach in facilitating elementary science teachers' access to PCK and transforming collective knowledge into personal and enacted knowledge. Therefore, the present study, employing a systematic review approach and thematic analysis, seeks to answer the fundamental question: What is the role of knowledge management in enhancing PCK of elementary science teachers, and what challenges and perspectives accompany this process?

Methods: The present study employed a systematic review approach, following the PRISMA 2020 statement (Page et al., 2021). This approach, by emphasizing transparency, reproducibility, and the reduction of research biases, enables the attainment of a comprehensive and reliable synthesis of findings from previous research (Li & Robinson, 2022). The implementation process comprised six key stages: (1) formulating the research question based on the PICOS model and determining inclusion and exclusion criteria; (2) systematic searching in authoritative Persian and English databases using combinations of specialized keywords and Boolean operators; (3) screening articles at three levels (identification, initial screening based on title and abstract, and eligibility assessment based on full text) and documenting reasons for exclusion; (4) assessing the methodological quality of selected articles using the CASP checklist and calculating the inter-coder agreement coefficient; (5) extracting key data from the final articles using a standardized data extraction form; and (6) analyzing and synthesizing the extracted data using thematic network analysis based on Attride-Stirling's three-level model (comprising basic themes, organizing themes, and global themes) (Attride-Stirling, 2001). This analytical process led to the identification and categorization of findings into three main global themes: "The Roles of Knowledge Management in Enhancing PCK," "Challenges Facing the Implementation of Knowledge Management," and "Future Perspectives."

Findings: The analysis of the extracted data from 14 final articles using thematic network analysis led to the identification of three global themes: "The Roles of Knowledge Management in Enhancing PCK," "Challenges Facing the Implementation of Knowledge Management," and "Future Perspectives." The findings revealed that knowledge management contributes to PCK enhancement through three main pathways. First, facilitating access to collective knowledge, which includes access to authoritative resources, documentation of experiences, and the creation of teacher knowledge bases. The analysis of the studies revealed that, despite the high potential of knowledge management, its implementation in schools faces three categories of fundamental challenges. First, cultural challenges include weak trust, individualistic culture, and resistance to change. The second category is structural challenges, which include time constraints, high workload, and multiple work pressures. Cooper et al. (2022) demonstrated that teachers complain about the lack of time for personal study, and Khodarahmi et al. (2024) pointed to the lack of time and the high volume of curriculum as obstacles to PCK development. The third category is technological challenges, including weak digital skills and inadequate infrastructure. Hipolito-Martinez (2025) considered knowledge management and digital skills as two complementary factors, and Nilsson (2022) noted that student-teachers' technological experiences depend heavily on school equipment. The third perspective is the use of modern technologies in knowledge sharing, including artificial intelligence, recommender systems, and online collaboration platforms. Wong et al. (2022) demonstrated that online professional development programs based on learning experience design increase teachers' knowledge and confidence. The desirable perspective is movement toward the intelligent and integrated use of modern technologies alongside participatory and research-oriented approaches, so as to pave the way for sustainable PCK development among science teachers.

Discussion and Conclusion: The results indicate that knowledge management can serve as a bridge between collective and personal knowledge, reducing the theory-practice gap in science education. Nevertheless, achieving this requires a multifaceted and coordinated approach that simultaneously addresses technological infrastructure development, cultural transformation, teacher empowerment, and organizational restructuring. It is necessary to provide a clear conceptual distinction among the three main constructs of this research: knowledge management refers to the systematic processes of creating, storing, sharing, and applying knowledge and functions as an organizational infrastructure; PCK is the core of teaching expertise, comprising a combination of content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge; and TPACK is the developed form of PCK in the technological context. Therefore, knowledge management is considered as the tool and platform, PCK as the ultimate goal, and TPACK as a specific domain of PCK. Based on the findings, practical recommendations include: developing knowledge bases and documenting experiences; institutionalizing professional learning communities; technological empowerment and culturalization; revising teacher education curricula; and intelligent application of technology. Research recommendations include: designing an indigenous model; conducting experimental and intervention studies; in-depth exploration of obstacles; examining the role of emerging technologies; and comparative studies.

Keywords: Knowledge Management, Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), Elementary Science Teachers, Systematic Review, Thematic Analysis, Professional Development