Secondary School Science Teachers' Beliefs on Inquiry in their Classroom Practices

This study explored the science teachers’ inquiry about beliefs and how these beliefs are enacted in the classrooms. A qualitative interpretive approach was adopted to investigate the rudimentary beliefs of science teachers on inquiry. Five high school teachers were purposively selected for this study. Data were generated through questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations. Findings showed that most of the teachers have student-centered beliefs. Teachers who believed in the inquiry nature of science practiced it in the classroom and vice versa. Thus teachers' beliefs were consistent with their classroom practices. Most of the teachers have a narrow view of inquiry. The perception of inquiry act as a huddle in the implementation of inquiry teaching and learning in the classroom to promote rational thinking. It is observed that the lack of actual meaning of inquiry led to confusion about inquiry teaching among science teachers.