Inquiry-based teaching methods in German science education. Results of a teacher survey indicate need for action

Abstract

Since 2004, many German school curricula have required the training of (key) competences in addition to the teaching of subject knowledge. Especially in science education, scientific methods and scientific literacy have been explicitly mentioned. For the training of these competencies, didactic research proposes various methods, such as inquiry-based and problem-based learning. The teacher surveys referred to in this paper show which of these methods are (supposedly) known to teachers and in which way they are applied in class. The results reveal a great variety of understandings and interpretations considering these learning methods, both among teachers and between teachers and education researchers. The surveys provide important results on the role of teacher education and its challenges.