Scientific inquiry in secondary science: an international collaboration

The ASE conference has provided opportunities for international collaboration and networking with other experts in science education. This gave us a platform to discuss issues affecting science education and how we could contribute towards a common course. The presenters are members of the ASE and met in recent conferences, and this gave rise to ideas that we have explored in terms of science education in Bulgarian secondary schools. We aimed to investigate how the changes in pedagogy impact teaching and learning of science in Bulgarian secondary schools. Exploring the challenges faced by science education at the secondary school level in Bulgaria was a collaborative effort that the researchers shared and decided to investigate. The challenges range from issues of curricula improvement, assessments and teacher professional development as they may impact how students are assessed in their learning. The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reported that students in Bulgaria perform lower than their peers across all subjects, such as reading and science (OECD, 2019). The OECD advises that to sustain growth alongside a shrinking working-age population, Bulgaria will need to improve investment in education to address skill mismatches and ensure that more young people are prepared to succeed in the labour markets of the future. This has become imminent given that the recent COVID-19 pandemic made issues even worse. This research is phase two of our collaborative work between researchers in the UK and Bulgaria. The research was designed over a year through a series of online meetings between the members of the team. Questionnaires for students and interviews for teachers were discussed and improved upon by all. As the project took shape, it was decided that the focus would be on selected schools in Bulgaria and we worked with a teacher educator to facilitate this. The research questions focused on pedagogical changes in science education in secondary schools and inquiry learning, and how they align with the aims for teaching in schools in Bulgaria. The research is a mixed method, and data was collected through interviews, questionnaires and lesson observation. The data was analysed using thematic and content analyses and other relevant statistical analyses. In phase one of the project, the outcomes showed some barriers to implementing scientific inquiry in the classrooms, including a lack of teacher pedagogical knowledge and promoting student-led learning, tailored professional development support for teachers and a lack of resources for practical work impacting inquiry learning. We then set up interventions to support schools and will report the outcome of phase 2 of the research at the conference, as this is undergoing analysis. This is a chance to be involved in a collaborative learning opportunity and learn from the amazing skills and knowledge of the ASE community. You are welcome to attend this presentation and share your knowledge and experience. Delegates will have an opportunity to discuss successful ways of: •increasing student motivation and engagement •effectively carrying out practical activities with limited space and resources In addition, delegates can share their experience of professional and personal benefits of international projects and suggestions for promoting scientific inquiry learning.