Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Attitudes toward Conducting Scientific Inquiry Activities

Abstract

In this study, the author used a mixed-method design to explore preservice elementary teachers’ attitudes toward conducting scientific inquiry activities. The participants included seventy male preservice elementary teachers at a university in Saudi Arabia. They were enrolled in a four-year bachelor’s degree program that prepared them to teach first-, second-, and third-grade students in all major subject areas. Quantitative data was collected using the Attitude toward Conducting Inquiry questionnaire, and interviews were used to collect qualitative data. The results showed that most of the participants found scientific inquiry activities relevant and important for elementary students. However, over 85 percent of the participants found conducting scientific inquiry activities difficult in terms of classroom management and class time. The participants also reported a modest level of enjoyment when conducting scientific inquiry activities and low levels of self-efficacy, which may have led to their high dependency on external factors. Several themes emerged from the analysis of the interview data, which supported the results from the questionnaire. The study highlights the essential role of teacher education programs in providing authentic scientific inquiry experiences for preservice teachers during science education courses.