Main Goal & Objectives
The main goal of this research is to recommend ways to empower inquiry practices among pre and in-service science teachers and museum educators in non formal science education venues.
Specifically, this research project will study pre and in-service teachers’ views and practices about inquiry in science education. Also, we will attempt to correlate views and practices, namely, to examine whether views guide practices, or vice versa, or there is no relation between them.
In particular, we will study student teachers’ views about the Control of Variables Strategy issues prior and after a lab science course, where the Control of Variables Strategy will be explicitly taught.
Additionally, we will investigate and correlate science teachers’ views and practices who participated in a professional development (PD) program some time ago.
The aim is to investigate whether the practices gained during the program have been sustained two years after the program ended.
We will also study the views and practices about inquiry of the museum educators who design and implement science and technology educational programs in non formal venues, such as NOESIS, the Science Center and Technology Museum in Thessaloniki.
The investigation and correlation will enable us recommend proper teaching practices to promote inquiry practices among pre and in-service teachers and museum educators when they teach science.
