TY - JOUR

T1 - Putting inquiry-based learning into practice

T2 - How teachers changed their beliefs and attitudes through a professional development program

AU - Hofer, Elisabeth

AU - Lembens, Anja

N1 - Funding Information: This research project arised from TEMI (Teaching Enquiry with Mysteries Incorporated), a project under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7, Science in Society) of the European Commission, Grant Agreement ID: 321403. Publisher Copyright: © 2019 IUPAC & De Gruyter, Berlin/Boston.

PY - 2019/12/1

Y1 - 2019/12/1

N2 - Despite the tremendous efforts which have been made over the last few years, inquiry-based learning (IBL) has not become an established practice in science education yet. Even if teachers consider IBL an important and valuable approach, they still refrain from implementing it in their own science classes. Research findings suggest that the teachers' beliefs and attitudes have a crucial influence on their classroom practice. Only if they are compatible with the approach of IBL, the teachers will be willing to implement IBL in their own classes. This article demonstrates how the beliefs and attitudes of three Austrian chemistry teachers changed over the period of a 9-monthly professional development program (PDP). In order to ascertain their beliefs and attitudes regarding IBL previous to and after the PDP, we conducted a group discussion and three individual interviews. The statements from both dates were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis and indicate substantial changes concerning the teachers' beliefs about the efficacy, capability and practicability of IBL. After participating in the PDP, the teachers took a more positive attitude regarding both IBL in general and its implementation. Considering the findings from this study, we formulate implications for designing PDP at the end.

AB - Despite the tremendous efforts which have been made over the last few years, inquiry-based learning (IBL) has not become an established practice in science education yet. Even if teachers consider IBL an important and valuable approach, they still refrain from implementing it in their own science classes. Research findings suggest that the teachers' beliefs and attitudes have a crucial influence on their classroom practice. Only if they are compatible with the approach of IBL, the teachers will be willing to implement IBL in their own classes. This article demonstrates how the beliefs and attitudes of three Austrian chemistry teachers changed over the period of a 9-monthly professional development program (PDP). In order to ascertain their beliefs and attitudes regarding IBL previous to and after the PDP, we conducted a group discussion and three individual interviews. The statements from both dates were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis and indicate substantial changes concerning the teachers' beliefs about the efficacy, capability and practicability of IBL. After participating in the PDP, the teachers took a more positive attitude regarding both IBL in general and its implementation. Considering the findings from this study, we formulate implications for designing PDP at the end.

KW - Didactics of sciences education

KW - beliefs and attitudes

KW - inquiry-based learning

KW - teacher professional development

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85104635453&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1515/cti-2018-0030

DO - 10.1515/cti-2018-0030

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 1

SP - 1

EP - 11

JO - Chemistry Teacher International

JF - Chemistry Teacher International

SN - 2569-3263

IS - 2

M1 - 20180030

ER -