How Does Inquiry-Based Instruction Affect Teaching Majors' Views about Teaching and Learning Science?

Abstract

A previous study showed that elementary teaching majors enrolled in an inquiry-based physical science course developed chemistry content knowledge comparable to that of students enrolled in traditional lecture-based courses. This current study compares the views of these elementary teaching majors regarding how chemistry is taught and learned to the views of secondary science teaching majors enrolled in science-specific methods courses. The results show that the elementary teaching majors developed views of how science is taught and learned that were more in line with constructivist ideals than the secondary science teaching majors. In addition, the elementary teaching majors improved their interest and confidence in teaching science in the elementary school setting. The results of these two studies suggest that elementary teaching majors would be better served by taking inquiry-based science courses as part of their preservice preparation instead of lecture-based courses because the inquiry-based lessons did not detract from their chemistry content knowledge; in fact, the inquiry-based science courses markedly changed elementary teaching majors' views on the nature of science.