Direct and Mediational Effects of Metacognitive and Interpersonal Skills on Teachers’ Competency in Implementing Guided Inquiry Teaching Methods

Abstract

One of the promising approaches to overcoming students’ poor performance in Biology is the effective integration of innovative and learner-centred instructional methods such as guided inquiry teaching methods in teaching Biology. Hence, this study investigated the direct and mediational effects of Biology teachers’ metacognitive skills and interpersonal skills on Biology teachers’ competency in implementing the guided inquiry teaching method. A correlational research approach was employed while seven hypotheses were tested. The sample comprised 67 purposively selected Biology teachers. Biology Teachers Metacognitive Skills Questionnaire (BTMSQ, α=0.82), Biology Teachers’ Interpersonal Skills Questionnaire (BTISQ, α=0.79), and Biology Teachers’ Competency Observational Rating Scale for the Implementation of Inquiry Teaching Method (BTCORSIITM, W=0.87) were the measures for data collection. R Studio version 4.3.2 (R-Core Team, 2024) and lavaan package version 0.6–17 (Russel, 2012) were used for data analysis. The findings indicated that teachers’ metacognitive skills and teachers’ interpersonal skills had significant direct effects on Biology teachers’ competency in implementing guided inquiry teaching methods. However, teachers’ metacognitive skills and teachers’ interpersonal skills had no mediation effect on the link between gender and teacher’ competency in implementing guided inquiry teaching methods. In light of the findings, a conclusion and recommendations were made.