Teachers' perceptions and enactment of inquiry- based teaching to stimulate learner interest in science

Abstract

This qualitative, single high school case-study conveniently sampled eight natural sciences teachers and, after conducting lesson observations and document analysis, interviewed all participants to obtain their perceptions about the effectiveness of inquirybased teaching in motivating learners to specialise in sciences. The major finding was that most participants were sceptical about inquiry-based teaching. Participants from a behaviourist epistemology did not believe that learner motivation resulted from inquirybased teaching while those from an eclectic epistemology preferred a complementary use of both approaches. The few participants oriented towards inquiry acknowledged the link between learner motivation and inquiry-based teaching but faced the challenge of limited time to prepare all the apparatus and procedures required for inquiry-based teaching. This researcher recommends employing laboratory assistants to assist teachers with setting up apparatus for inquiry-based lessons, trimming some content to reduce overload in the Annual Teaching Plans (ATP), and in-service training on inquirybased teaching to develop learner interest in sciences.

Hierdie kwalitatiewe gevallestudie het agt natuurwetenskap onderwysers betrek en na leswaarnemings en dokumentanalise, is onderhoude met die deelnemers gevoer om hul sienings te bekom oor die bydrae van die ondersoek-gebaseerde konstruktivistiese benadering as ’n strategie om leerders te motiveer om in wetenskap-verwante vakke te spesialiseer. Die belangrikste bevindings was dat die deelnemers logiese positivistiese en eklektiese benaderings verkies; dat hulle skepties is oor ondersoek-gebaseerde onderrig en dat hulle nie leerder motivering aan onderwysbenaderings koppel nie. Daar was egter enkele deelnemers wat wel ondersoekend onderrig het en wat leerder belangstelling in wetenskap aan ondersoek-gebaseerde onderrig gekoppel het. Op grond van die data wat verkry is, beveel hierdie navorser aan dat laboratoriumassistente aangestel moet word om onderwysers by te staan met die opstel van apparaat vir ondersoek-gebaseerde lesse; dat spesifieke modelle van ondersoek in die “CAPS”- dokument ingesluit word; dat inhoud afgeskaal moet word om oorlading in die jaarlikse onderrigplanne (ATP) te verminder, en dat voor- en indiensopleiding aan onderwysers oor ondersoek-gebaseerde onderrig verskaf word as ‘n manier om die belangstelling van die leerders in die wetenskappe te prikkel.

Lesisifundo socwaningo esenziwe esikoleni esisodwa samabanga aphakeme lwakhetha othisha beSayensi Yemvelo (NS) abayisishiyagalombili ukuze kwazakale ukuthi bayibona kanjani indlela yokufundisa iSayensi ngophenyo (inquiry-based teaching) ehlose ukukhuphula intshisekelo yabafundi kwiSayensi. Ngemuva kokubona othisha beSayensi befundisa, lomcwaningi wahlaziya incwadi eziphathelene nokufundiswa kohlelo lwe CAPS, waphinde wenza izingxoxo nabothisha. Okumqoka okutholakale kuloluphenyo kube ukuthi iningi lababambe iqhaza, abakhuthalela ukufundisa ngendlela egxile kuthisha (logical positivism) bangabaza ukuthi abafundi bafunde bephenya njalo abakubonanga ukuxhumana kwenzindlela zokufundisa nokunyuka kwentshiseko yabafundi ezifundweni ze Sayensi. Ababambiqhaza abahlanganisa indlela yokufundisa egxile kuthisha ne ndlela yokufundisa ngophenyo (eclectic) bakholelwa ukuthi indlela yokufundisa egxile kuthisa nendlela yokuthi abafundi bafunde bephenya, kuyomela zisetshenziswe zombili. Kwatholakala ingcosana yabothisha eyenelisa ukufundisa isayensi ngendlela yophenyo eyayisezingeni eliphansi njalo yaqinisekisa ukuthi bukhona ubudlelwano phakathi kwendlela zokufundisa nokunyusa intshiseko yabafundi kwi Sayensi. Ngokolwazi olutholakele, lolucwaningo luncome ukusebenzisa abasizi basemagunjini okusebenzela ososayensi ukusiza ukuhlela amalungiselelo okwenza uphenyo lwezifundo, nokuhlinzekwa kwezindlela eziqondile zokuphenya izincwadi zikaCAPS, kanye nokunciphisa okunye okuqukethwe, kwehliswe umthwalo kuhlelo lokufundisa lonyaka (i-ATP), ukuqeqeshwa kothisha kwi ndlela yokufundisa iSayensi ngokuphenya ukuze kuthuthukiswe intshiseko yabafundi.