TEACHERS' KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEFS ABOUT INQUIRY AND CLASSROOM PRACTICES

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between teachers' knowledge and beliefs about inquiry and their classroom teaching practices in middle and high school science classes. Specifically, the study attempted to answer the following questions: (1)What are teachers' beliefs and knowledge about inquiry? (2) What are teachers'teaching related classroom practices? (3) Do teachers' knowledge and beliefs about inquiry relate to their science classroom practices? Teachers were asked to fill out two questionnaires, one open-ended and another of the Likert-type, that gauge their beliefs and knowledge about inquiry. Classroom observations were conducted to document actual teaching strategies. Finally, teachers' profiles were constructed and investigated to identify relationships between teachers' beliefs and knowledge and their teaching practices. Results showed that most teachers had restricted views of the nature of science and had unfavorable beliefs and attitudes about inquiry. Moreover, there did not seem to be a relationship between teachers' beliefs, views of the nature of science, and their classroom practices.