A Preliminary Study of Chemistry Teachers’ Question in Inquiry Teaching

Abstract

Teachers play an important role in the teaching and learning process in science classrooms. They should be proficient in all aspects, including possess good subject content knowledge and should master the pedagogy in teaching the subject. Among the teaching methods suggested is inquiry teaching. Inquiry teaching has been widely known as one of the effective approaches in teaching science. One of the important aspects in inquiry teaching is how questions are used in classroom. In this study, teachers’ question in chemistry lessons via verbal interaction has been investigated. Four chemistry teachers in secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur were involved in a preliminary study. Each chemistry teacher was observed once for a chemistry lesson of 80 minutes. Observations made were videotaped and audiotaped. An observation instrument known as Observation Instrument in Inquiry Teaching through Verbal Interaction (IPIVPI) was used in this study. Findings showed that most of the questions asked were of low level questions, which involves only cognitive memory and convergent thinking questions. Only a few questions were posed for the purpose of stimulate students’ thinking and curiosity in chemistry lessons, questions on the macroscopic, sub-microscopic, symbolic as well as science process skills. This preliminary finding showed that the implementation of inquiry teaching among chemistry teachers is still in doubt. In conclusion, further research in inquiry teaching is needed to investigate this aspect of inquiry teaching in depth.