Junior high science teachers’ knowledge and practice of inquiry-based teaching in the Bawku Municipality

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate junior high school (JHS) science teachers’ knowledge and practices of inquiry-based teaching in the Bawku Municipality. The philosophical assumption underpinning the study is the pragmatic paradigm. The study adopted the explanatory sequential mixed method research design. The accessible population was all Junior high schools science teachers in the Bawku Municipality. It comprised 77 junior high schools Science teachers. Census sampling technique was used to sample the accessible population of 77 for the quantitative phase of the study which involved administration of a questionnaire. However 34 respondents’ completed questionnaires were retrieved but 43 could not be retrieved because of escalation of chieftaincy conflict in the Municipality and these individuals were at the epicentre of the conflict. Movement within the Municipality was also restricted. So the 34 respondents were used for the study. Purposive sampling was used to select five participants for the qualitative phase of the study. Questionnaire and semi-structured interview guide were used to gather data for the study. Quantitative data was analysed descriptively using frequencies and percentages while the Qualitative data was analysed thematically.The study found that teachers have averagely high knowledge of inquiry-based teaching, which is suitable for junior high school science teaching. Most teachers practice this method and accept the teacher's role as a facilitator. However, challenges such as student motivation, limited resources, and time can hinder teachers’ classroom practice of inquiry-based teaching in the Municipality. The study recommends that the Bawku Municipal Education Directorate of the Ghana Education Service addresses the challenges the teachers face to encourage their practice of inquiry-based teaching.