Pre-Service Primary School Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Understanding of an Enquiry Based Approach to Teaching Primary School Science and Its Influence on Their Field Teaching Experiences

Abstract

This study seeks to explore pre-service primary school teachers’ perceptions of their understanding of an enquiry based approach to teaching primary school Science. The study also seeks to identify how pre-service primary school teachers perceive the effectiveness of their University Science courses in preparing them to teach science using an enquiry approach. Participants were pre-service teachers enrolled in the B.Ed programme at The University of Trinidad and Tobago. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. The data revealed that the teachers understood the concept of guided enquiry and knew how to develop lesson plans that incorporate that approach. Although the teachers believed that their courses prepared them adequately to teach primary school Science using enquiry, they encountered problems because of the lack of adequate resources.