Contribution of Inquiry-Based Learning to the Improvement of Biology Teaching and Learning in Malawi Community Day Secondary Schools

Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) is a well-known modern teaching approach in science education, with proven effectiveness for acquiring scientific knowledge. However, in most Malawi Community Day Secondary Schools (CDSSs), science teachers are still relying on the use of teacher-centered approaches when teaching biology. Further, they appear to be far from practicing IBL. This study explores the role of the IBL 7Es (Elicit, Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate, and Extend) instructional model on biology teachers' pedagogical approach in CDSSs. The aim was to ascertain whether the use of the approach affected teachers' perceptions and practices of biology teaching. The sample consisted of six biology teachers purposively selected from rural and urban CDSSs. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview and lesson observation checklist. Collected data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. The pre-test results revealed that the most used teaching approach was lecturing. After the training with the IBL 7Es instructional model, the use of IBL was observed in lesson planning and lesson delivery. Furthermore, there was a shift from dominant teacher-centered to learner-centered approach. However, large class sizes and limited teaching and learning resources were reported as key challenges that impede the use of the approach. The study recommends the need to train teachers on how to effectively teach large class sizes and to explore the extent to which pedagogical practices influence biology teaching and learning. More importantly, teachers should be given time, resources, and professional support to adopt and implement contemporary teaching methods to promote meaningful biology teaching and learning. © 2022 Common Ground Research Networks, Pempho Hendrina Chikaluma, Opanga David, Venuste Nsengimana, All Rights Reserved.