Insights into the inquiry orientations of a cohort of Irish and Australian pre-service science teachers using a pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) lens

This study reports on the use of a pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) lens to capture and portray orientations of a cohort of Irish (I) (n = 35) and Australian (A) (n = 5) pre-service science teachers towards the use of scientific inquiry. This PCK lens, known as Content Representations (CoRes), have served in developing and/or articulating science teachers' PCK in a number of studies since its conception by Loughran, Berry and Mulhall (2006). However its use to document episodes of inquiry is under researched in the literature. CoRes were developed on four topics, the Particle Theory (I), Genetics (I), Electronics (A) and the Conservation of Energy (A). During analysis, 'episodes of inquiry' were collated using a coding system specific to the defined features of inquiry. Pre-service teachers were also interviewed for their views on inquiry. Results showed that the Irish pre-service teachers were lacking in any orientations toward inquiry thinking. They very much taught using a traditional didactic approach. In the Australian context however, the CoRe developed on Electronics (A) showed some orientations towards inquiry. The CoRe developed on the Conservation of Energy (A) also incorporated an inquiry approach. One such example was through a teacher demonstration as a way of visually and kinaesthetically teaching a concept. So while the Australian cohort demonstrated an orientation toward inquiry based teaching, the Irish cohort was profoundly lacking. This drove on the next phase of the study in Ireland which began an intervention with a smaller cohort of pre-service teachers (n=12). The CoRe was altered slightly to have a more inquiry focus. Since this adaption the cohort of Irish preservice teachers begun to think through inquiry - not only in their CoRe development but visible in their action in the classroom.