Preparing pre-service history teachers for organizing inquiry-based learning: The effects of an introductory training program

Abstract The present study investigates a training program aimed at preparing pre-service history teachers for organizing inquiry-based learning (IBL) in class. This program consisted of a workshop and an assignment during the teaching internship period. Pre- and posttests indicate that the workshop had a significant effect on self-efficacy and attitude toward IBL, but also that most student teachers' attitudes had again changed after the assignment. Related to this, student teachers' lesson plans revealed three different templates, representing distinct interpretations of ‘inquiry’. An analysis of reflection papers and interviews describes how the context of the teaching internship further shaped student teachers' thinking.