Inquiry-based instruction has not been widely adopted by secondary school science teachers, inspite of decades for research and curriculum design. This paper aimed at contributing to the documentation of the use of inquiry in Physical Science classrooms. In this case study, the data from the four participants about their classroom practice was gathered using qualitative research methods of observation protocol and individual interviews. Analysis of results showed that majority of these teachers held fairly limited views of inquiry making them use teachercentered approaches. Elements and essential features of inquiry were observed in less than half their lessons. The remaining teacher used a combination of both traditional classroom activities and inquiry-based activities with more abilities to do inquiry and essential features of inquiry in their lessons, leading to a guided type of inquiry. This paper documents that even the experienced teachers struggle to enact inquiry-based teaching and therefore recommends professional development programmes (PDPs) that will enrich teachers' knowledge of inquiry.

No abstract

The Periodic Table of Elements is central to the study of modern Physics and Chemistry. It is however, considered by teachers as difficult to teach. This paper reports on a case study exploring reflections on teaching periodic table concepts in five secondary schools from South Africa. Qualitative methodology of interviews and document analysis were used to collect data from five participants that were purposively selected. One specific research question was addressed: what practices inform Physical Sciences teachers when teaching periodic table of elements? Results showed that all participants were able to describe specific teaching and learning difficulties, such as relating the properties of substances to characteristics of the constituent particles. They further, recognised the importance of using models of atoms and molecules to promote understanding. These findings have implications for science teaching, learning and teacher education.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education curriculum and instructional design continuously undergo reforms that aim to prepare learners for the challenges of the 21st century (Hoeg & Bencze, 2017; Pietarinen et al., 2017). In particular, STEM education has adopted strategies that integrate modern technologies in teaching and learning to enhance knowledge construction and application among learners and societies. In some countries, STEM education reforms are fuelled by socio-economic and political imperatives that seek to promote social justice (Mnguni, 2018). More recently, the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic has forced schools and universities to adopt online teaching methods to reduce the coronavirus's spread. Consequently, researchers are exploring strategies for the incorporation of online teaching and learning methods. The effectiveness of these strategies and their impact on the students' conceptualization of STEM knowledge, its application, and relevance are continuously being investigated.

This study aimed at exploring teachers' instructional practices and conceptions of teaching Physical Science through inquiry. Data were collected using qualitative research methods of individual interviews and observation protocol with the four experienced teachers that were purposively selected. The results revealed that participants used traditional classroom activities more frequently than inquiry-based activities; and whenever they made use of inquiry, they followed a specific order of activities that leads to a more structured or direct type of inquiry. Few used a combination of both traditional classroom activities and inquiry-based activities, leading to a guided type of inquiry. In addition, all participants understood teaching through inquiry as a kind of pedagogy that involves experimentation. This suggests a need for teachers to possess sound knowledge of inquiry and the Nature of Science (NOS); as these are prerequisite for implementing inquiry-based instruction in the classroom.