Preservice Teachers’ Experience in Learning and Teaching Social Sciences in Secondary Education Using the Inquiry-Based Learning Method

Abstract

The ability of teachers to adopt inquiry-based learning depends to a large extent on their knowledge, skills, perception, and attitudes toward it. Therefore, it is important to explore the preservice teachers’ experience of learning and teaching with this method, with the assistance and mediation of preservice teachers’ educators. Preservice teachers participated in a blended course to acquire the teaching skills needed for inquiry-based learning, at the same time gained experience teaching based on this approach in high schools in Israel. The study included 120 preservice teachers who completed questionnaires at the beginning of the course (first measurement) and at the end of the course (second measurement). The findings show that between the two measurements there was an increase in positive attitude toward inquiry-based learning and teaching. Most of the participants noted the difficulties they encountered in applying the inquiry-based method in teaching in schools. In the course of teaching with this method, they acquired tools to cope with these difficulties.