A Study of Student Teachers Effectiveness in Applying Inquiry Questioning Skills

Abstract

All authorities in social studies for the past twenty years agree that the stimulation of inquiry, in part, depends upon the teacher’s questioning strategy. The investigators designed a social studies teacher education program which emphasized training in inquiry. The intensive training included an audio-tutorial, two microteaches, one with peers and one with high school studies, and extensive class discussion with demonstration. By the end of the inquiry training session, students were required to master an inquiry questioning strategy. We noticed that a number of student teachers were not using the inquiry strategies. Over a period of three years we studied thirty student teachers. Of the thirty, fourteen were rated as having conducted inquiry sessions. We conclude the study by raising four hypotheses about why teachers who have mastered inquiry skills do not use those skills.