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Transiting into Inquiry Science Practice: Tales from a Primary School

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Inquiry into the Singapore Science Classroom

Part of the book series: Education Innovation Series ((EDIN))

Abstract

In this chapter, we describe a case study of the inquiry practices of four science teachers in a primary school in Singapore. We were motivated to carry out this study to address two issues. Firstly, while there has been a significant amount of research into the nature of inquiry science, more recent discussions have pointed to the smaller amount of research on teachers’ instructional practices of inquiry in the classrooms. For teachers transiting into inquiry practice, concrete descriptions and analyses of what inquiry looks like in practice, when and how it occurs can be helpful. Secondly, teachers were concerned that inquiry science, as described in literature, was impossible to implement in countries such as Singapore where there are usually large class sizes and a strong focus on preparing students for national examinations. Our study surfaced nuances in the teachers’ inquiry practice that sought not only to address local issues but also reflected their tacit experience and beliefs. Importantly, this study also examined the tensions teachers faced and the factors that contributed to their dilemma and decisions as they adapted their teaching practices to their beliefs and interpretations of what constitute inquiry science. This line of inquiry would contribute towards efforts in supporting teachers who are transiting into inquiry science practices.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by a research grant awarded to Shirley Lim (RI 6/06 SL) from the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research and Evaluation, Planning Division, Ministry of Education, 285 Ghim Moh Road, Singapore, 279622, Singapore

    Chew-Leng Poon

  2. National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Nanyang Walk, Singapore, 637616, Singapore

    Shirley S. L. Lim

Authors
  1. Chew-Leng Poon
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  2. Shirley S. L. Lim
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chew-Leng Poon .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Education, Singapore, Singapore

    Aik-Ling Tan

  2. Ministry of Education, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Chew-Leng Poon

  3. National Institute of Education, Singapore, Singapore

    Shirley S.L. Lim

Appendix A: Coding Scheme Developed to Code the Components of Inquiry

Appendix A: Coding Scheme Developed to Code the Components of Inquiry

Rater ID: _____

Unit number: _____

 

Time unit start: _______

Time unit end: _______

 

CLIS

MORE

BSCS

EIMA

Heuristic for inquiry

Others

Orientation

Model

Engage

Engage

Engage

 

Initiate learning through a question, a problem or discrepant event

Construct model of phenomenon based on existing ideas

Elicit prior concepts and arouse curiosity through short activity/questions

Engage students prior knowledge and interest in a topic

Engage students around a question or problem

Elicitation

Observe

Explore

Investigate

Prepare to investigate

Articulate or make explicit existing/prior ideas/concept

Design and carry out investigations of phenomenon, make and record observations

Help students use prior concepts, generate new ideas, explore possibilities, design and conduct investigation through activities

Collect and analyse data to generate patterns or rules

Students plan investigations

Teachers guide thinking through key issues of investigation, may introduce skills, attitudes and beliefs

Restructuring

Reflect

Explain

Model

Investigate

Conceptual change through clarifications, exchange of ideas or conceptual conflicts

Reflect on goals, methodology of experiment and consistency between observations and proposed model

Learners explain their understanding of concept

Use data to create models that provide coherent explanations for the observations

Students carry out activities to investigate the problem or to derive knowledge claims

Alt ideas constructed through expt or thinking through implications

 

Teachers may introduce concept or skill to guide students to deeper understanding

  

Application of ideas

Explain

Elaborate

Apply

Prepare to report

Test new ideas in similar and/or novel situations

Explain to class how data served as evidence to support or refine model

Extend understanding and apply concept through additional activities

Test and apply models in novel situations

Small group prepare to report

Teacher may guide students’ articulation of ideas and impart skills

Review change of ideas

 

Evaluate

 

Report

Compare new knowledge with prior knowledge

 

Students and teachers assess understanding and progress towards achieving educational objectives

 

Students report their claims and findings to class, defend ideas

Whole class (teacher and student) evaluation

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Poon, CL., Lim, S.S.L. (2014). Transiting into Inquiry Science Practice: Tales from a Primary School. In: Tan, AL., Poon, CL., Lim, S. (eds) Inquiry into the Singapore Science Classroom. Education Innovation Series. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4585-78-1_8

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