The purpose of this study was to analyze the mediating effect of pedagogical
content knowledge of science teaching on the relations among child care
teachers’ burnout, science teaching anxiety, and science teaching efficacy. For
this study, questionnaires were distributed to 355 teachers working at child care
centers in Jollanam‐do. The analysis of data was conducted with SPSS WIN
18.0. The results of this study were as follows. First, child care teachers’ burnout
lowered their science teaching efficacy, and child care teachers’ pedagogical
content knowledge, as a mediating variable, reduced the negative effect of child
care teachers’ burnout on their science teaching efficacy. Second, child care
teachers’ science teaching anxiety lowered their science teaching efficacy, and
child care teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge, as a mediating variable,
reduced the negative effect of child care teachers’ science teaching anxiety as an
independent variable on their science teaching efficacy. These findings imply
there is a need to boost pedagogical content knowledge during in-service teacher
education programs.