The power of knowledge: examining teachers’ perceptions regarding the contribution of scientific newsletters to their professional development and to their students

In the realm of science education, particularly biology education, keeping abreast of new discoveries and insights is of paramount importance. During the 2022–2023 school year, we sent 21 scientific newsletters (SNs) via WhatsApp dealing with contemporary biological topics to 901 biology teachers in junior high schools and high schools. The aim of this survey study was to investigate how teachers perceive the possible impact of these SNs on both their own professional development and their students. We sent a questionnaire to the teachers, 110 of which were filled out. The key finding from the teachers’ responses was that the primary and most crucial contribution of the SNs lies in enhancing teachers’ biological disciplinary knowledge, contributing to their own professional development, and enhancing their students’ biological disciplinary knowledge. The SNs were notably less significant for teachers in terms of elevating their own or their students’ scientific literacy. Future examination of teachers’ experiences and insights may lead to a deeper understanding of how SNs influence teaching methodologies and content knowledge, and impact instructional effectiveness.