Abstract:

The article informs about the results of a questionnaire survey focused on finding out the opinions and attitudes of secondary school teachers to the inquiry activity (IA) “Effect of the Surface Area on the Rate of Chemical Reactions”. This IA was created in accordance with the National Education Programme for Lower Secondary Education for the thematic unit “Changes in Chemical Reactions” of chemistry content in 7th grade. In terms of the teaching process, the IA was processed according to the 5E Instructional Model (i.e., Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate) and it was intended for the guided inquiry. The IA was verified by 25 teachers on a sample of 450 pupils. Teachers' opinions and attitudes to IA after its implementation in the classroom were discovered through a survey questionnaire. The results of the questionnaire indicated that the IA helps to apply the inquiry approach in the teaching of chemistry and is related to real-life situations. The tasks for pupils support the development of conceptual understanding, the development of selected scientific skills (observation, inference, prediction, and making conclusions), the development of skills related to thinking and learning (cooperation, communication), and pupils´ motivation and interest. The pupils did not have problems in practical tasks, but some pupils needed teacher help in tasks focused on making predictions and conclusions. The pupils need further development in these skills because they have difficulties with linking knowledge in a broader context. According to the teachers, the time and material requirements for implementation of the inquiry activity are adequate.

Acknowledgment:
This article was created in the framework of the National project “IT Academy – Education for the 21st Century”, which is supported by the European Social Fund and the European Regional Development Fund in the framework of the Operational Programme Human Resources, ITMS code of the project: 312011F057.

Keywords:

Chemistry, inquiry activity, secondary school teachers, questionnaire survey.