Despite the fact that the facilitation of inquiry learning is a core methodology in the General Education and Training (GET) band of the South African National Curriculum Statement, rote learning and memorization of algorithms remains common practice in many mathematics classrooms. The inquiry-based Family Maths professional development programme, offered by the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, attempts not only to support the transformative education practices targeted by the South African National Department of Education, but also to extend them beyond the school walls to the community at large. This study investigates the extent to which the Family Maths professional development programme develops facilitators’ ability to implement inquiry-based learning. It also seeks to explore which aspects of the programme are effective in developing an inquiry-based approach. The research undertaken is an empirical study of 39 facilitators and uses both qualitative and quantitative methods. The facilitators’ inquiry beliefs and ability to implement inquiry learning was measured by means of questionnaires, observation schedules and interviews. As the ‘teacher as facilitator of inquiry-based teaching and learning’ is a requirement of all South African teachers, the findings of this research should make a meaningful contribution to the field of mathematics teacher education in the South African context.

In this study, the researcher sought to understand why teachers of Physical Sciences participate in the South African 'Eskom Expo for Young Scientists'. This was analysed in terms of the educational significance that they perceive the science fair to offer, what sustains their participation over a long period of time, and the extent to which Expo participation provides an opportunity for professional development. The educational significance of the Expo was established in terms of its contribution to the Professional Identity of teachers, and was related to the roles (organiser, mentor and judge) of participation in science fairs. The sampling employed in the study was both purposive and convenience-based in nature. Only schools participating regularly (at least five times in the past ten years) in the long running (since 1980) of the 'Expo for Young Scientists' (Northern Gauteng Region) were selected. Five urban public high schools and ten teachers of the school subject "Physical Sciences" were identified to participate in this study. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with two teachers from each school in this QUAL-quan research approach. The interview transcripts were subjected to a thematic analysis, where after the points raised by the teachers were clustered into categories and related to sub-themes and themes according to the educational significance for teachers, the benefits and drawbacks for learners, teachers' Professional Identity, and reasons for sustained participation. Many researchers regard science fairs as one of the better ways to enhance science education. Globally, science fairs have been taking place for more than 30 years and are thought to have educational value for both science teachers and learners. These science fairs provide a context for the development and application of scientific investigation and research skills. This research employed the model of Beijaard, Meijer and Verloop (2004) to characterise teachers' Professional Identity (professional knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, norms and values, and emotions). The researcher also employed Ajzen's (1991) Theory of Planned Behaviour to understand why teachers take part and sustain their involvement in the Expo, be it at school or regional level. The major focus was thus on the benefits for teachers as perceived by them, with some contextualisation of the educational benefits and potential drawbacks for learners, while the literature to date has largely reported on the benefits for learners. This study has found that expos provide sustainable educational significance in terms of professional development for teachers, and enhance aspects of their Professional Identity, such as contributing to pedagogical knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, as well as scientific procedural and declarative or factual knowledge. Their self-efficacy beliefs are strengthened, positive attitudes are developed, and strategies of inquiry based learning and effective methodological instructions in science education, which contributes to their teaching. Learners gain knowledge of science through reading and investigations, and also learn more of the nature of science. Teachers' values (and those of their schools) are reflected when their emotions are lifted in sharing learners' achievements in the science Expo. Teachers learn both from their engagement with learners, but also through networking opportunities with fellow teachers. The consequent enhancement of Professional Identity contributes to the sustainability of their participation in the Expo. Although this research focused on teachers of Physical Sciences, learners in the Expo are guided on projects ranging from biology and environmental sciences, engineering and design, information technology to psychology, and various social sciences beyond the physical sciences. The teachers who guide the subjects related to these fields possibly have similar experiences, thus extending investigations to such teachers would surely provide a richer set of insights. Teachers who do not sustain their participation did not form part of the research, but their experiences and perceptions were included to further enrich the nature of the findings. It is recommended that the opportunity for professional development that is provided by teachers' participation in such school level investigation science fairs be acknowledged and promoted by schools and fair organisers. They can do this by continuing to extend the range of teachers who are encouraged to be involved in such science fairs. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Humanities Education / MEd / Unrestricted

This study investigated the effect of inquiry-based instruction in technical undergraduate education. Specifically, the effect was measured along two dimensions: 1) the effect on student learning and, 2) student attitude towards subject matter. The researcher designed an inquiry-based instructional approach to encourage interaction between teacher and students and to help students take more responsibility for their learning. Three technical undergraduate classes participated in the study. Each class was divided into experimental and control groups. For the experimental group, a twice-a-week traditional lecture was replaced with a once-a-week inquiry-based question and answer session. Students in the control group were taught as normal, by a traditional style lecture. Students in the experimental group were expected to use the extra hour, gained by meeting only once once-a-week, to study and prepare. Both groups were administered pre- and post- tests to determine the learning that took place during the experimental intervention. Pre- and post- surveys were also administered to assess the effect of the inquiry-based instruction on student attitude. Additionally, scores from student exams, professor surveys, and researcher observations were used to collect data and understand the effect of the instructional approach. The findings suggest that inquiry-based learning in technical classes can have a positive effect on learning and attitude.

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Syftet med det här examensarbetet har varit att undersöka elevers erfarenheter och upplevelser av inquiry som arbetssätt i klassrummet. Ett delsyfte har varit att undersöka hur en frågedriven undervisning kan fungera i en svensk skola, i en klass som är van vid lärarledd undervisning. Detta undersöktes genom att genomföra ett arbetsområde i historia med frågedriven undervisning som metod i en klass. Därefter undersöktes elevernas erfarenheter och upplevelser med hjälp av både kvalitativa strukturerade intervjuer med några elever och en kvantitativ enkät i helklass. Det visade sig att frågedriven undervisning är ett tidskrävande undervisningsmoment som ändå fungerade delvis bra i klassen. Det var gynnsamt för klassen med ett tydligt styrt arbete med ett tydligt upplägg. Under tidigare arbetsområden hade diskussioner varit kritiska moment för eleverna men dessa underlättades av arbetssättet inom frågedriven undervisning. En nackdel som visade sig var att flera elever hade svårt att se sammanhanget i arbetsområdet. Flertalet av eleverna ansåg att de lärde sig mer av frågedriven undervisning. De flesta ansåg att det var diskussionerna i klassen som gjorde att de lärde sig mer.

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Explores the implementation of inquiry into the science classroom and presents a model for incrementally changing the traditional (behavioralist) instruction found in the science class to inquiry-based (constructivist) instructional strategies.

Proposes a new model for teaching inquiry and critical thinking in the middle school science classroom. This model will assist students in learning the evidence for evolution for themselves, as well as assisting them in developing skills in critical thinking and inquiry. The objective of this model is to create a more scientifically literate student body who can go on to pursue an even greater understanding of the nature of science.