Abstract-2 (April 2021) Sasmita Bhoi & Laxmidhar Behera

PEDAGOGY OF LEARNING

International Refereed/ Peer Reviewed Journal of Education

Vol. 7 (2) April 2021, pp. 08-19, E-ISSN: 2395-7344, P-ISSN: 2320-9526

Title: Secondary School Science Teachers’ Beliefs on Inquiry and Practices: An Interpretive Study

Sasmita Bhoi, Research Scholar in Education, Regional Institute of Education, NCERT, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. Email: sasmitabhoi6@gmail.com

Laxmidhar Behera, Ph.D., Professor, Regional Institute of Education, NCERT,Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. Email: behera17@yahoo.co.in

Article DOI: 10.46704/pol.2021.v07i02.002

ABSTRACT

To explore science teacher beliefs and classroom practices, an interpretive study was conducted on five secondary school teachers. The interpretive study provides an insight into the two primary research questions (1) what are the science teachers’ beliefs in inquiry as a method of classroom transaction to promote rational thinking and (2)  how these beliefs are enacted in the science classroom?  Data collection in the study consisted of a semi-structured interview and classroom observations. A constant comparative method was used to analyze data. Findings showed that most of the teachers had a narrow view of inquiry. Their understanding of inquiry is confined to asking scientifically oriented questions. The classroom practices revealed that teachers were less inclined to enact inquiry-based instruction. Their incomplete view of inquiry act as a barrier in the implementation of inquiry-based teaching in the science classroom. Further crowded classrooms, limited time, and inexperience of teachers in engaging students in inquiry were challenges that teachers face regularly in the classroom.

Keywords: Teachers’ Beliefs, Inquiry, Classroom practices