Social sciences teachers’ perceptions and implementation of inquiry learning: A comparative study between two local senior secondary schools

Inquiry learning (IL) is one of the most prominent features of the New Senior Secondary Curriculum reform and has become a major approach in the teaching and learning of many subjects. However, it remains open to what teachers’ perception of IL is and what extent IL is actually used in day-to- day teaching. In the study presented here we elaborate— from the perspective of social science teachers—the current status of IL in day-to-day teaching and the difficulties they encountered in implementing IL, based on the analysis of relevant data collected from a survey, interviews, classroom observations and documents. Further, in order to gain insights on multiple factors that influence teachers’ perception and implementation of IL, a comparative study between two case schools was conducted. We present selected results from this comparative study that for the first time provides general ideas of senior secondary social science teachers’ perceptions and current use of IL, as well as how school context, curriculum and measurement, the support from students and parents affect teachers’ perceptions and implementation of IL in the context of Hong Kong.