ABSTRACT
Members of the society require science skills to cope with technologically-changing world. Despite this realization, the perfomance in science subjects is still below the required standards wordwide. The impetus to conduct this study stemmed from the fact that science education plays a significant role in the a child‟s development as it can bridge the gap in education achievement in science performance at higher levels of learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate the determinants of early childhood teachers‟ use of inquiry based instructional approaches in science activities. The main objectives of this study were to: establish the extent to which teachers used inquiry based instructional approaches in teaching science in early childhood development education, investigate the extent to which teachers‟ level of training influences use of inquiry based instructional approaches in teaching science in early childhood development education, determine the extent to which the type of training institution influences use of inquiry based instructional approaches in teaching science in early childhood development education and examine the extent to which teaching experience influences use of inquiry based instructional approaches in teaching science in early childhood development education. The target population for this study was 270 teachers. Eighteen teachers were purposively selected to take part in the study. The instruments for data collection were phenomenological interview and science lesson observation schedules. Interview questions were pretested on two teachers from Maara Sub County. Credibility of the study instruments was established through member check, prolonged engagement, persistent observation, peer debriefing, triangulation, multiple data sources and by comparing pretest results from the pilot study in two districts. The reliability of the study instruments was ensured by keeping accurate descriptions and interpretations of respondent experiences and corroboration of the data by participants at all stages of the research process. This study adopted in-depth phenomenological interviewing of participants for 30 minutes. The researcher randomly selected and observed three separate science lessons taught by each teacher in the study sample. Descriptive statistics including frequency counts and percentages were used to summarize and organize quantitative data while data elicited by interview questions and observation were analyzed qualitatively using content analysis. The responses were thematically discussed. The study found that there was limited use of inquiry-based instruction in science teaching. The result shows that the teacher‟s level of training, type of training institution and teaching experience had no significant influence on teachers‟ use of IBI. This study concluded that teachers were currently practicing inquiry-based instruction and that the level of training, experience and type of training institution did not significantly bring about differences in the use of inquiry-based instructional approaches. The recommendations from this study are that the Government should prioritize the allocation of instructional resources to promote the practice of inquiry-based learning. This study recommends training of teachers on the use of inquiry-based learning approaches in pre-primary schools.
CHAPTER ONE CONTEXTUALIZATION OF THE STUDY
Introduction
This chapter presents the background of the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the study research objectives and questions. The significance of the study together with delimitations and limitations of the study are also presented in this chapter. The chapter ends with the presentation of theoretical and conceptual framework and operational definition of terms.
Background to the study
Inquiry-based learning is an approach that deals with activities that are aimed at discovering new knowledge through scientific investigations (Alberts, 2011). Inquiry based learning approaches consists of experiences that enable learners to explore occurrences to arrive at concepts and principles, guided by the instructor (Handelsman, Miller & Pfund, 2007). According to Harlen and Allende (2009), Inquiry-Based Instructional Learning consists of experiences that help learners to understand the world around them through the development and use of inquiry skills. Inquiry-based curriculum assumes learners learn gain new knowledge by asking questions, identifying problems, and conducting investigations. This is followed by collecting, analyzing and interpreting data for the purposes of creating comprehensive explanations before drawing conclusions (Marx et al. 2004). As highlighted by Hmelo-Silver, Duncan and Chinn (2007), the inquiry processes address various thinking and learning skills such as critical thinking, creative thinking, communication skills, self-regulated learning skills, as well as metacognitive abilities. According to Harlen and Allende (2009), inquiry based
instructional learning at pre-primary school level facilitates the acquisition of scientific knowledge as well as consolidation of scientific concepts in young learners. They also add that such learning sharpens the children inquiry skills thereby creating a favorable environment for the early development of attitudes and perceptions.
United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (2010) arguments points to the fact that science through inquiry should continue to be regarded as an integral part of the pre-primary curriculum as it enables young learners to generate new ideas about the world around them, which is critical in establishing a suitable climate for scientific literacy. The experience gained from undertaking scientific inquiry allows children to appreciate how science works. Science through inquiry can help children have a clear picture of how science directly impacts various aspects of their lives such as health and safety. Involvement in scientific activity leads to the realization of the significance of reasoning about evidence, which is a prerequisite of future learning in science and beyond.
According to National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST, 2011), inquiry skills are foundational for the development of the more complex science skills hence should be given due emphasize in the early years of primary education. Karen (2010) contends that scientific inquiry provides the opportunity for children to develop a range of skills, either explicitly or implicitly. Karen (2010) highlights various activities that are conducted during inquiry learning. First, there is exploration of objects, materials and events in order to raise questions, make careful observations, as well as engage in simple investigations that involve describing, comparing, sorting, classifying and ordering objects. This is followed by recording
the observations using words, pictures, charts and graphs. In that case, one can use a variety of simple tools to extend observations, identify patterns and recognize relationships. In addition, thre can be development of tentative explanations and ideas through working collaboratively with others by sharing ideas and listen to new perspectives. The main focus of this study was to establish how teachers used the highlighted activities for inquiry learning in pre-primary schools.
The foregoing description of the practice of teaching and learning science is notably different from the actually experience in the pre-primary classrooms. Typically, science lessons in pre-primary classrooms is characterized by a science table that has interesting objects and materials for the learners to see as well as the measurement and observation tools such as balances and magnifiers (Karen, 2010). In such cases, children are unable to make proper observations or ask related questions for that can enhance their understanding. Activity-based science is also another form of science that is used in the pre-primary learning. Here, children are allowed to engage in activities that regenerate excitement and interest (Karen, 2010). Despite having a multitude of science books supporting it, activity-based science rarely lead to deeper thinking as compared to other form of science used in the classrooms (Duschl, Schweingruber & Shouse, 2007). Science work can also be carried out through use of thematic units and projects. Although this may seem rich and effective way of conducting science work, it actually may lack the focus on science. From this perspective, arguments in favor of the need for better science education in pre- primary schools have largely been based on the desire to assist the today‟s learners in developing new knowledge, reasoning abilities and problem solving skills required for the rapidly technological world. (Johnson & Adams, 2011).
Despite the potential benefits of using inquiry in science learning, there are several drawbacks with the use of inquiry instruction. For instance, empirical studies carried out in America by Cobern, Schuster, Adams, Undreiu, Applegate, Skjold and Gobert (2010) show that curriculum and pedagogical reforms, inadequate teacher training on pedagogical approaches and lack of support from Government and Education Ministries on implementation of inquiry based learning brings about the disconnect between the way the science curriculum is structured and the way teaching is being implemented in classrooms. In 1996, the United States National Academy of Sciences produced the National Science Education Standards that emphasizes on inquiry-based science, based on the theory of constructivism rather than on direct instruction of facts and methods. However, Chisholm and Leyendecker (2008) argue that despite the science curriculum being well-planned, encouraging more learner- centered and competency-based education, the teaching of science using IBIL has relatively been unsuccessful implying that a gap exists between the expected goals of curriculum and actual progress achieved in classrooms.
Pre-Primary schools are the gateway for many children in many countries in Africa (Osborne & Dillon, 2008). The majority of the developing countries in Africa began to experience a remarkable transformation in the science curriculum development in the 1970s. Initially, the science-related learning programmes used to be adopted from other development nations but that proved to be detrimental to learning because such programmes had been developed for a different cultural background. Subsequently, national curriculum development activities have incorporated approaches from a collection of externally produced programmes which are not easily workable in an African setting due to resource constraints in most primary
schools (Horn, 2009). Thus, the process of science, including such elements as the scientific method of inquiry and critical thinking are often ignored.
In Kenya science is a key component of the pre-primary school curriculum. According to the Kenya Institute of Education (KIE) (2003), the general objectives of science at the pre-primary level are: to develop children‟s curiosity, create opportunities for them to observe, hypothesize, experiment and report or record findings as well as helping them to develop problem solving skills and acquiring science concept such as measuring, weighing, speed, floating and sinking and solubility. The KIE (2008) pre-primary school syllabus, refers to science activities as those scientific tasks that involve direct experience and participation of the children to acquire basic scientific skills like observation, manipulation, classification, measurement, communication, experiment designing, prediction, problem solving, recording and questioning. The children should be able to use the five senses that is, smelling, feeling, hearing, tasting and seeing as they perform various activities to discover scientific facts and ideas. Therefore, teaching science has to focus on developing analytical, critical skills, and problem solving abilities as well as enhancing the creativity of an individual (Mudulia, 2012; Atieno, 2013).
The current Kenya‟s pre-primary science curriculum advocates for learner-centred approaches with children active involvement in practical investigative activities which nurture scientific skills (KIE, 2008). Pre-Primary Science Syllabus is the foundation for scientific studies at higher levels. The syllabus has also considered the desired outcomes of education for our pre-primary school learners‟ as well as putting emphasis on the national education. The pre-primary science syllabus is
based on the Science Curriculum Framework and emphasizes the need for a balance between the acquisition of science knowledge, process and attitudes.
