Elementary teachers' beliefs and practical knowledge about teaching science as inquiry: The effects of an inquiry-based elementary science course

This study examined inservice elementary teachers' beliefs and practical knowledge toward inquiry-based science instruction and the influence of an inquiry-based elementary science course on teachers' beliefs and practical knowledge regarding inquiry. The 14 elementary teachers completed a three-credit elementary science methods course that emphasizes teaching science as inquiry. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected using pretest and posttest surveys, and an intensive case study.;The findings showed that the teachers' beliefs and practical knowledge about inquiry-based science instruction were clearly influenced by the inquiry-based elementary science course. The participant teachers constructed fairly positive beliefs and practical knowledge that promoted inquiry-instruction throughout this course. Moreover, they improved their knowledge and skills of conducting inquiry in their own science lessons. The majority of teachers successfully practiced inquiry-instruction in teaching their science lessons.;Some of the teachers in this study exhibited small or modest changes in their practice of inquiry-instruction. To successfully translate inquiry-instruction in the classroom, a teacher must possess strong beliefs, knowledge, and expertise about inquiry. While the majority of these teachers had never been previously exposed to inquiry-instruction before this course, they expressed that they would continue to use more inquiry-instruction in their classroom at the end of the course. The teachers identified the following constraints that would prevent them from promoting inquiry in the classroom: time, effort, and collaborative support from experts.;From the results of this study, it is important to underlie that teachers' beliefs could be used to predict their use of inquiry in their science lessons. If teachers really believe in something, then they are more likely to act accordingly and adopt new teaching practices as their own.;It is recommended that teachers collaborate with other experts or peer teachers to successfully implement inquiry-based instruction in science teaching. In doing so, appropriate inquiry-based curricula are also needed to provide rich context of knowledge and experience in inquiry-instruction to teachers. This study also suggests that a follow-up study is needed to assess the participants' implementation of inquiry-instruction in their classroom, and to examine whether the use of inquiry-instruction with their students makes a significant difference in students' science learning.