Preservice and practicing teachers’ self-efficacy for inquiry-based instruction

Abstract

This review synthesized what the research tells us about teachers’ self-efficacy for the enactment of inquiry-based instruction in the classroom. We selected 33 empirical studies that met specific search criteria. Teachers with previous inquiry experiences, including the completion of inquiry-based methods courses in teacher-education and previous authentic investigations, were more disposed toward adopting an inquiry approach, even if they had limited experience in authentic inquiry-education settings. Number of years taught, the maximum degree held by the teacher, and prior educational and work experiences were not related to an inclination toward using inquiry in the classroom. In addition, success in teaching with inquiry depended on teachers’ interpretations of the challenges associated with this pedagogy. Implications for research and practice are discussed.