Analysis of New Zambian High School Physics Syllabus and Practical Examinations for Levels of Inquiry and Inquiry Skills
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Frackson Mumba 1 * , Vivien Mweene Chabalengula 1, Kevin Wise 1, William J. F. Hunter 2
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1 Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, USA2 Illinois State University, Normal, USA* Corresponding Author

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the new Zambian high school physics syllabus and practical examinations for levels of inquiry and inquiry skills. Several inquiry skills are explicitly emphasized in the introduction, aims, content objectives and assessment sections in the national high school physics syllabus. However, the syllabus is less explicit on levels of inquiry. The syllabus has no suggested inquiry activities and guidelines for inquiry-based teaching. As such, teachers are expected to create inquiry activities for their physics lessons to address the content and inquiry skills outlined in the syllabus. The experiments in the practical examinations were restricted to structured and confirmation/verification inquiry levels. The inquiry skills emphasized in the practical examinations were the same as those outlined in the physics syllabus. Implications for science teaching, learning, and curriculum design have been stated.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 3, Issue 3, 2007, 213-220

https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75400

Publication date: 23 Oct 2007

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