PROFILES · Professional Reflection-Oriented Focus on Inquiry-based Learning and Education though Science

The PROFILES project promotes IBSE through raising the self-efficacy of science teachers and in so doing aiding a better understanding of the changing purpose of teaching science in schools and the value of stakeholder networking. The proposal innovation is in utilizing science teaching materials to support teachers, through an inspired, longitudinal training programme reflecting stakeholder views and needs, while simultaneously promoting a reflective IBSE school-based, training related, intervention to promote learning through creative, scientific problem solving and/or socio-scientific decision making procedures. The measures of success are through a) determining the self efficacy of science teachers in teaching innovative science education approaches allowing student acquisition of life skill competencies and b) in the attitudes of students toward this more context-led, student centered, IBSE-emphasised learning. Dissemination of approaches, reactions, and reflections form a further key project target.Initially PROFILES involves the development of science teachers on four fronts (teacher as learner, as teacher, as reflective practitioner and as leader) consolidating their ownership of the context-led approach and incorporating use-inspired research, evaluative methods and stakeholder networking. The project enhances its dissemination approaches with lead teachers spearheading training of further teachers at pre- and in-service levels and initiating workshops for key stakeholders nationwide. The project focuses on the secondary level so that ‘open inquiry approaches’ are a major teaching target. PROFILE pays much attention to student motivation for the learning of science both in terms of intrinsic motivation (relevance, meaningful, as considered by the students) and extrinsic motivation (teacher encouragement and reinforcement) and attempts to make school science teaching more meaningful by paying attention to cultural differences, esp. at the gender level