Examining tutors' understanding of inquiry-based learning in teaching and learning practices in Tanzanian teachers' colleges: a reflection of 7E instructional model

Abstract

The recent educational reforms in Tanzania advocate for the integration of inquiry-based learning (IBL) methods in pre-service teacher colleges. A critical factor in this integration is how tutors conceptualise IBL. The study is grounded on the 7E instructional framework coupled with the hermeneutic phenomenological research design in order to examine tutors' conceptualisation of IBL within the 7E instructional model in teaching and learning process. Data were collected from 56 participants through interviews and focus group discussions. Thereafter, the inductive thematic analysis was used to develop themes and categories, the findings of which revealed that tutors' conceptions with regard to IBL predominantly relied on the elicitation phase, specifically on prompting curiosity. Besides, tutors had limited knowledge of explanation, elaboration, exploration, and evaluation. However, the findings revealed that principals had relatively lower knowledge compared to tutors. In general, the limited awareness of the participants appears to be influenced by slight variations of meaning in some of the phases, such as the elaboration and extension phases. Furthermore, the study recommends an intervention study to create tutors' understanding of the IBL method in addition to the merging of elaboration and extension phases.