Teachers’ Experiences of an Inquiry Learning Training Course in Finland

Abstract

This paper reports outcomes of a 2-day inquiry learning training course for in-service teachers (N=102) with a specific focus on teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs, perceptions of inquiry learning, and satisfaction with the training course. Teachers’ self-efficacy and their perceptions of inquiry learning were measured both at the beginning and at the end of the training course. Satisfaction with the training course was measured only at the end of the training. The study identified three distinct self-efficacy profiles among the participants: Low, moderate, and high. The self-efficacy of teachers belonging to the high and the moderate group remained unchanged throughout the training, while the self-efficacy for student engagement improved in the low-efficacy group. At the beginning of the training course, differences were found between the low and high self-efficacy profiles in terms of teachers’ perceptions of resources for inquiry learning and their anxiety toward inquiry learning; however, only the former difference remained based on the post-test results. Interestingly, although there were three clear self-efficacy profiles and these groups also differed in terms of prior experiences with inquiry learning, all teacher groups were both satisfied in general with the training course and with the utility value of the training.</p