Teaching Science as Inquiry: the role of novice vs. experienced Teachers’ Self-efficacy

1. Teaching Science as Inquiry: the role of novice vs. experienced Teachers’ Self-efficacy Kumudu Seneviratne Dept. of Science & Technology Education Faculty of Education

2. Background Inculcation of the spirit of scientific inquiry is central to any curriculum framework in science. However, teaching with inquiry is a relatively complex and demanding activity. Curriculum reforms, mainly in 1972, 1992, 1998, and in 2007 have sought to improve the inquiry based science instruction in the classroom (Athurupana et al., 2011). The curriculum revision based on Outcome Based Education (OBE) in 2015 further facilitates the enactment of authentic inquiry. It expects to keep a sound coherence among the learning outcomes, teaching learning activities and the assessment tasks.

3. Rationale to study • Despite the attempts at state levels to improvement of inquiry based science instruction in the classroom, still the instructional practice is dominated by teacher centered confirmatory exercises, rather enactment of authentic inquiry. As a result, the students possess a very little understanding in basic science concepts, the process of scientific inquiry and related concepts. Among the key predictors of teacher’s receptivity to inquiry based instructionTeacher self-efficacy is an important predictor in teacher’s professional career which is not amply researched in the Sri Lankan education context.

4. Conceptual model Related Theory: Social Cognitive Theory: Triadic Reciprocal Determinism (Bandura, 1989).

5. Purpose of the study General Objective Investigate the science teachers’ self-efficacy in Student Engagement, Classroom Management and Instructional Strategies in planning scientific inquiry in association with teaching experience in science Specific Objectives • Determine the science teachers’ perceived usage level of learning outcomes of scientific inquiry by teaching experience • Determine the science teachers’ self-efficacy in Student Engagement, Classroom Management and Instructional Strategies in planning scientific inquiry by teaching experience • Study the association among perceived usage level of learning outcomes of scientific inquiry, teacher self-efficacy and teaching experience

6. Research Design • Research Methodology Quantitative paradigm -A correlational study • Sample A quota sample of 148 practicing science teachers practicing science teachers (M:F=18:130, D:ND=57:91, PQND/T:PGPG=76:53, NO:EX=80:68,HO:PA:SE=74:34: 40, 1AB:1C:Type 2=92:23:33) in state schools of Homagama zone in 2018 • Data gathering instruments Questionnaire(6 items on learning outcomes of scientific inquiry(National Survey of Science and Mathematics Education Science Questionnaire (Horizon Research Inc.(2000),and 20 items Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale ((Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2000). • Data analysis Independent Sample T-Test and the General Linear Model (GLM) Univariate analysis

7. Experience wise Mean perceived usage level of Learning outcomes of Scientific inquiry

8. Experience wise Mean perceived usage level of Learning outcomes of Scientific inquiry • Student frequently engage in scientifically oriented questions, developing explanations on them and formulating conclusions. • Yet, planning investigations to gather evidences in response to questions and communicating and justification of the proposed conclusions were not satisfactory. • Use of overall LOs of scientific inquiry was significantly higher among experienced than that of novice science teachers. Significant difference in use of LO3-Developing and evaluating explanation using evidences to address scientifically oriented question was also evident.

9. Experience wise Mean perceived self-efficacy level for use of learning outcomes of Scientific inquiry

10. Association among perceived usage of learning outcomes of scientific inquiry, teacher self-efficacy and teaching experience in science perceived usage of scientific inquiry=1.262+0.553(TSESE) -0.293(TSECM)+0.393(TSEIS 24.4% of variation in perceived usage of learning outcomes of scientific inquiry can be explained by perceived teacher self-efficacy in student engagement, classroom management and instructional strategies in scientific inquiry. Every unit increase in perceived teacher self-efficacy in student engagement, usage level of scientific inquiry is expected to increase by 0.553 units, provided the science teachers of the same levels of self efficacy in classroom management and instructional strategies in scientific inquiry Similarly, for a given levels of self efficacy in student engagement and instructional strategies in scientific inquiry, every unit increase in perceived teacher self-efficacy in classroom management, the usage of scientific inquiry will decrease by 0.293 units. For a given levels of self efficacy in student engagement and classroom management in scientific inquiry, every unit increase in perceived teacher self-efficacy in instructional strategies, the usage of scientific inquiry will increase by 0.396 units.

11. Conclusions • In enactment of scientific inquiry in the classroom, student frequently engage in scientifically oriented questions, developing explanations on them and formulating conclusions was evident. • Yet, the two key outcomes of authentic scientific inquiry: planning investigations to gather evidences in response to questions and communicating and justification of the proposed conclusions were not satisfactory • Use of overall LOs of scientific inquiry was significantly higher among experienced than that of novice science teachers. • Significant difference in use of LO3-Developing and evaluating explanation using evidences to address scientifically oriented question was also evident.

12. Conclusions

13. The Way Forward…………….. • Reorientation science in-service teacher education programme • 1.Teacher self-efficacy as an important predictor of teacher success in in-service training, in terms of a valuable process variable to be considered during training, and a desirable outcome of in-service training 2. Teaching experience in science as an important predictor of teacher success in use of scientific inquiry in the classroom • Future research on improved social dialogue on importance of teacher self –efficacy raising interventions with regard to inquiry based science teaching

14. References • Aturupana, H., Dssanayake, V., Jayawardene, R., Shojo, M., & Sonnadara, U. (2011). Strengthening Science Education in Sri Lanka, Report No.45, South Asia Human Development Sector. • Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. • Bandura, A. (1991). Social cognitive theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes,50: 248–287. • Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI)(2012). National Survey of Science and Mathematics Education (NSSME) • Tschannen-Moran, M. & Woolfolk Hoy, A. (2001). Teacher efficacy: Capturing an elusive construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, (17), 783-805. Retrieved May 25 2016 from http://mxtsch.people.wm.edu/Scholarship/TATE_TSECapturingAnElusiveConstruct.pdf

15. Thank you