Swaziland pre-service teachers’ understanding and enactment of inquiry-based-science teaching: a case of a university in Swaziland.

Abstract

The current study adopted a case study design to understand the knowledge and skills related to inquiry-based science teaching (IBST) held by pre-service teachers at the conclusion of their three years training in science courses in an educational institution in Swaziland. Placed in the pragmatism paradigm, the study used a multi-methods approach. The purposively selected study sample consisted of 34 pre-service teachers at the end of their 3-year teacher preparation programme. In the first phase of the study, the researcher assessed the 34 preservice teachers’ understanding of IBST using a teaching scenario based questionnaire in combination with individual interviews with eight of the participants. Six participants from the sample of eight also volunteered for the second phase of the study, where their lesson plans, classroom observation recordings, and lesson interviews were used to gather evidence pertaining to their enactment of IBST during teaching practice. Data were analysed using a conceptual framework of IBST that outlines two dimensions: the cognitive and guidance dimensions. Findings from the first phase indicated that at the completion of the training programme preservice teachers held inadequate but varying conceptions of IBST. They either regarded IBST as engagement of learners in constructing knowledge about phenomena themselves based on evidence; or associated the pedagogy with different forms of learner engagement during the teaching process. Participants only identified prominent characteristics of the cognitive dimension of IBST, particularly those of the procedural domain. Concerning the guidance dimension, they connected IBST more with teacher directed activities. In their enactment of IBST, the six participants focused more on the conceptual domain while the epistemic domain was least represented. Concerning the guidance dimension of IBST, they mainly guided learners in formulating evidence-based conclusions. In the main, their enactment of IBST was shaped by their comprehension of the cognitive dimension of inquiry and their pedagogical content knowledge for facilitating inquiry-based learning. Extensive recommendations for teacher education and educational leadership are given. The effectiveness of the conceptual framework for identifying the pre-service teachers’ conceptions is discussed.

Iqoqa.

Lolu cwaningo lwasebenzisa indlela yocwaningonto oluyikhwalithethivu ukubheka ukuthi othisha abasaqeqeshwa bayiqondisisa bayisebenzise kanjani i-Inquiry-Based Science Teaching (IBST) ekupheleni kokuqeqeshwa kwabo kweminyaka emithathu esikhungweni sokufunda Eswatini. Ababambiqhaza abakhethwa ngokwenhloso kwaba wothisha abangama-34. Uhlelo lokufunda lwaluqukethe isayensi ngqo kanye nezindlela zokuyifundisa. Engxenyeni yokuqala yocwaningo, umcwaningi wahlola ukuqondisisa i-IBST kothisha esebenzisa uhlumibuzo oluncike ezibonelweni zokufundisa kanye nenhlwayalwazi yomuntu ngamunye kubabambiqhaza abayisishiyagalombili. Ababambiqhaza abayisithupha kulabo abayisishiyagalombili bavolontiya ukuba yingxenye yocwaningo lwehlandla lesibili lapho kwabhekwa khona izinhlelo zezifundo zabo, ukufundisa okuqoshwe bukhoma, kanye nenhlwayalwazi okwasetshenziswa ukuqoqa imininingo ngokusetshenziswa kwe-IBST ekufundiseni kwabo. Imininingo yahlaziywa kusetshenziswa uhlakamicabango lwe-IBST eyavezwa uFurtak, uSeidel, u-Iverson kanye noBriggs (2012) okuchaza izinto ezimbili: okwengqondo kanye nokokuqondiswa. Imiphumela yehlandla lokuqala yakhombisa ukuthi ekupheleni kokuqeqeshwa othisha babenolwazi olunganele futhi olwahlukahlukene nge-IBST. Babuka i-IBST njengokubandakanya abafundi ekubunjweni kolwazi ngezinto ezigxile kubufakazi; noma bayamanisa ezokufundiswa kwabantwana nezindlela ezahlukene zokubandakanya abafundi ngezikhathi kufundiswa. Ababambiqhaza bathola izici ezigqamile kuphela kwezengqondo ngokwe-IBST, ikakhulukazi engxenyeni yenqubo. Kokuyamene nokuqondiswa, bayamanisa i-IBST kakhulu nemisebenzi ebhekiswe kothisha. Ekusebenziseni kwabo i-IBST, ababambiqhaza abayisithupha bagxila kakhulu kulokho okuhambisana nomqondo kanti okolwazi akubhekwanga kakhulu. Ngokwengxenye yokuqondiswa ngokwe-IBST, baqondisa abafundi ekwakheni isiphetho esincike kokunobufakazi. Yize ukuqondisiswa kwe-IBST kwababambiqhaza kwakunesandla ekusebenziseni kwabo i-IBST, inhlwayalwazi ngesifundo yakhombisa ukuthi indlela abamukele ngayo ukufundisa kwabo ezesayensi nezinkolelo ngabafundi kwaba nomthelela ekuhleleleni kwabo i-IBST. Ikakhulukazi, ukuqondisisa kwabo okuyamene nengqondo, ulwazi lwabo lwesifundo ekusizeni ngokufunda okuncike ekucwaningeni kwalekelela ekwethuleni kwabo izifundo ababezihlelile. Iziphakamiso ezinqala ekuqeqeshweni kothisha kanye nobuholi kwezemfundo zinikeziwe. Ukuphumelela kohlaka lwemicabango lokuhlonza ukuqonda kothisha abasaqeqeshwa ludingidiwe.