Examining the efficacy change of preservice science teachers: does an inquiry-based laboratory instruction make a difference? A mixed method study

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was twofold: first, to examine the effectiveness of an inquiry-based laboratory course on preservice science teachers’ (PSTs’) science teaching efficacy beliefs. Second, this study also aimed to identify the ways in which efficacy change occurred in instructional strategies, classroom management, and student engagement for PSTs after participating in a semester-long inquiry-based laboratory course. A mixed-method approach was employed in this study. Data were collected through Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) and semi-structured interviews. TSES was administered to 52 junior PSTs. Based on their initial levels of teaching efficacy (low, medium, high) determined by the TSES, three participants within each group were interviewed to obtain detailed insights regarding their science teaching efficacy. Quantitative data analysis suggested that PSTs’ science teaching efficacy beliefs regarding student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management increased at the end of the course. Qualitative data analyses revealed that most PSTs expressed increased efficacy in sub-dimensions of teaching efficacy. Exceptional findings emerged delineating little or no efficacy change particularly in classroom management due to the discomfort with adapting to the inquiry-based laboratory method and lack of teaching practice in a real classroom environment. Results were discussed and suggestions for future research were provided.

KEYWORDS:

• Self-efficacy
• inquiry-based laboratory
• preservice teachers
• mixed-method

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Dr. Betül Ekiz Kıran, Dr. Sarah Carroll, Dr. Semra Sungur, and Dr. Yasemin Özdem Yılmaz for their contributions to this study.

Author’s note

Part of this study was presented as an oral presentation at the European Conference on Educational Research – ECER, Hamburg, 2019.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).