Inquiry-based science education: Tools for supporting the design of schoolteacher professional development programs

Abstract

For many teacher educators, designing programs to assist pre- and in-service teachers in implementing inquiry-based science education (IBSE) in school classrooms is a complex and challenging task. However, applicable teacher professional development (TPD) frameworks are rare. Thus, the goal of the presented educational design research was to yield a TPD framework, called the ProDevInq framework, and a set of underlying design principles (DPs). These TPD design tools are based on seven components from the science TPD literature. The components include a learning theory, goal, learning strategy, and instructional design model. We generated the DPs based on a systematic review of the relevant literature. After screening the principles based on hallmarks from the literature on what makes science TPD effective, we could synthesize the ProDevInq framework. The resulting TPD design tools have theory-, practice-, and research-related implications in supporting the implementation of IBSE worldwide.