Middle School Classroom Teachers\u27 Use of Technological Tools to Teach Scientific Inquiry

This study focused on middle school science teachers\u27 experiences in using technological tools to teach scientific inquiry skills in the middle school science classroom. Technological tools have been increasingly used in middle schools, but knowledge is lacking as to which tools are efficient in teaching scientific inquiry skills. The purpose of this study was to gather information about the technological tools that could be adopted to make the teaching of scientific inquiry skills in middle school science classrooms more meaningful and gainful to students. The conceptual framework applied in the study was the technological, pedagogical, content knowledge (TPACK) model, as conceptualized by Mishra and Koehler in 2006. The research questions asked which strategies and tools middle school teachers use to teach scientific inquiry skills in the classroom, how confident they were when using these tools and strategies, and what positive or negative factors did they note. A qualitative, case study approach was used to collect data via purposeful sampling. NVivo software was used to analyze interviews and lesson plans from 5 middle school science teacher who used technology and taught science for at least a year. The key findings in this study indicated that middle school science teachers used authentic learning and project-based learning strategies to teach scientific inquiry skills. They used a variety of technology tools and found that some were better suited than others. The implications for research and educational practice were outlined. This study fosters social change because it is essential to the field of science education to share information that will help science teachers become efficient at selecting and using preeminent technologies to teach scientific inquiry skills in the classroom