FINAL-YEAR PRE-SERVICE PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ UNDERSTANDING OF INQUIRY-BASED-SCIENCE TEACHING

TitleFINAL-YEAR PRE-SERVICE PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ UNDERSTANDING OF INQUIRY-BASED-SCIENCE TEACHING
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2020
AuthorsNhlengethwa, KB, Govender, N, Sibanda, D
JournalJournal of Baltic Science Education
Volume19
Issue3
Start Page454-466
PaginationContinuous
Date PublishedJune/2020
Type of ArticleOriginal article
ISSN1648-3898
Other NumbersE-ISSN 2538-7138
KeywordsIBST understanding, inquiry-based science teaching, pre-service teachers, primary school, scenario-based questionnaire
Abstract

Teachers’ accurate understanding of Inquiry-Based Science Teaching (IBST) is crucial for the proper enactment of this pedagogical approach. In this research, a qualitative case study design was used to explore and interpret pre-service teachers’ understanding of IBST at the conclusion of their three-year primary diploma at a university in Swaziland. Data were collected using a semi-structured teaching scenario-based questionnaire in conjunction with individual semi-structured interviews. Thirty-four participants completed the questionnaire and eight of them were subsequently interviewed. The data were analyzed using a conceptual framework of IBST that outlines two dimensions of IBST; namely the cognitive and guidance dimensions. The results show that in the cognitive dimension, participants focused mainly on the procedural domain. With regard to the guidance dimension, they associated the pedagogical approach more with teacher-directed than learner-directed learning activities. This paper recommends that in training pre-service primary school teachers, teacher educators must broaden their focus from procedural aspects of IBST to include all its aspects; thereby developing their pre-service teachers’ holistic and deep experiences of IBST.

URLhttp://oaji.net/articles/2020/987-1591087928.pdf
DOI10.33225/jbse/20.19.454
Refereed DesignationRefereed
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