An Analysis on Elementary School Teachers' Concern on Open Inquiry in Science Education

Abstract The purpose of this study was to analyze stages of the concern on open inquiry of elementary school teachers. To achieve this purpose, this study used the instruments of CBAM, including stages of concern questionnarie. The results of this study was as follows. Firstly, most teachers were in 0 stage, which meant they had little concern on open inquiry in science instruction. Secondly, the teachers who had teaching career of less than or 10 years were no more interested in open inquiry than teachers who had teaching career of 11-20 years. Thirdly, the training experience and teaching experience of open inquiry didn't show a statistically significant difference. Based on these results, this study suggested that we need educational programs and supporting strategies to heighten concerns and enthusiasm of teachers and pre-service teachers on open inquiry in science instruction. Key words : Open Inquiry, Science Curriculum, Elementary SchoolCorresponding author : 053-850-4364, syoungpark@daegu.ac.kr* 2011 .