As reported in Chapter 6 and 7, this study has found that teachers and student-teachers reported inquiry as an approach whereby student-teachers develop their understanding of science by constructing their own understanding o f science.
The majority of the student-teachers and teachers in this study welcomed the constructivist approach or a shift to inquiry-based pedagogy for teaching science. This is because inquiry-based pedagogy has allowed them to get away from the traditional textbook dependency which is often the main source of science information and make a transition to a more hands-on approach where student-teachers are central to the knowledge construction and learning process. They also reported that inquiry-based learning can help student-teachers to retain knowledge better than if they are simply taught using a textbook. This perception of student-teachers and teachers is consistent with reports in the literature that inquiry-based teaching strategies for the development of personal meaning in science can lead student-teachers towards higher achievements in science (Duran et al., 2004; Newman et al., 2004; Bybee, 2000; but see the review of Krischner et al., 2006 who have shown that this is not a valid generalisation).
Much of this is based on a misunderstanding of the nature of constructivism. This word is often equated with any learning that s not didactic in nature and this seems to be how the teacher-educators see the word. In fact, constructivism related to what goes on in the mind of learners as they, naturally, seek to make sense of what is provided for them in any learning situation. Thus, constructivism is a description of what goes on in the head of the learner and cannot be used to describe an external learning situation. Indeed, Krischner et
al. (2006) has demonstrated that constructivism does not hold the answer in seeking more
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The teacher-educators also reported their apprehensions about the use of inquiry; almost everyone reported that the teachers initially felt frustration in adopting inquiry but that they gradually started feeling comfortable in their teaching after inquiry is practiced. Though teachers developed an appreciation for the value of active learning experiences using inquiry-based approaches, they still expressed a need to be more skilled in using inquiry. Moreover, the majority of student-teachers initially experienced frustration with inquiry because inquiry-based approaches in science are new and challenging methods to them. Indeed, student-teachers are likely to become frustrated without direction. Most student- teachers and teachers initially indicated experiencing frustration with the inquiry-based. The student-teachers had been receiving direction from the teachers and were therefore often feeling lost and frustrated without this direction. However, the majority of student- teachers reported that after this initial frustration, they developed a new appreciation for the value of the inquiry form of science instruction in their student-teacher learning and valued the active learning experiences and opportunities afforded to them by their instructors. The majority of student-teachers complimented the hands-off approach taken by their teachers and indicated that this approach had helped them to buy into the premise that learning science is something student-teachers can do, not something that is explained or given to them by their teachers. This cognitive development of the student-teachers is consistent with the development theory of Piaget (1975) according to which “learning begins when individuals experience disequilibrium” and which aims to bring their understanding back into equilibrium. Thus, student-teachers realised that there had been a change their thinking and perceptions through interaction with their environment.
The finding that teachers and student-teachers moved from an initial feeling of frustration in a learning environment to a feeling of acceptance and appreciation adds strength to the pedagogical practices in ITE in Pakistani universities. Teacher-educators moved through an initial feeling of hesitation in developing inquiry which is consistent with Friedrichsen (2001). Another prior study has found that student-teachers participating in a redesigned inquiry-based chemistry course to help them develop pedagogical content knowledge initially reported their concerns as they adjusted from a traditional course to an inquiry- based course, but at the conclusion of the course reported that they felt better prepared to teach chemistry (e.g. Mohammed & Jones, 2008). Hence, Teacher-educators and student- teachers reported that learning science through inquiry, which can be initially frustrating at first due to a lack of preparation using inquiry, gradually improved as they developed an interest in inquiry-based approaches. Also, their continuous practices with inquiry-based
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methods later gave them an appreciation of the value of inquiry-based approaches, with their teaching practices seeking to make learning fun.
Another finding of this study is the student-teachers understand that when they persist through their initial feelings of frustration in doing open inquiries, they can develop better insights into the scientific concepts and retention of learning compared with going through a traditional lecture based class. This insight into the value of inquiry-based learning was the key motivator in their intent to use inquiry-based pedagogy for teaching science in their own classroom. Specifically, based on their own experiences, they felt that they would be able to use inquiry-based pedagogy to develop student-teachers’ interest in science.
Thus, the results of this study suggest that the initial frustration and struggle with inquiry- based pedagogical experiences for teachers and student-teachers can be very effective means of learning about science processes and methods and is consistent with research findings that student-teachers who deal with the issues they are struggling with while doing inquiry show more learning (Haefner & Zembal-Saul, 2004). However, despite their frustrations as learners, they held a positive view of inquiry-based courses as a model for future teaching, consistent with prior studies (Volkmann et al., 2004; Newman et al., 2004). Thus, the teachers’ and student-teachers’ reporting of the benefits of using inquiry- based teaching strategies to learn science and indicate the development of the teacher- educators in the area of inquiry-based teaching strategies (e.g. Brooks & Brooks, 1993).