Congruence and discrepancy between observation and teachers’ self-report of inquiry-based instruction

Opportunities for self-reflection and collaborative reflection support inquiry-based teaching. The presented study focuses on retrospective self-reports of 14 science teachers about teaching inquiry lessons in their regular science classes. Their self-reports were compared with observation reports of researchers. Data from semi-structured interviews were added. The results indicate that teachers overestimated their performance in the class in all observed areas of inquiry instruction. The most misinterpreted and overestimated area by teachers seems to be formulating research questions, analysing data and drawing conclusions, which are the most effective processes in student learning. Based on the results of the study, several implications are suggested in order to focus on the self-reflective skills of teachers.