A Case Study Of The Implementing Status Quo Of Primary School Science Curriculum Based On The Levels Of Inquiry

Since a new round of basic education curriculum reform implementation in our country, the dramatic changes have been happened in science education:In the aspect of the curriculum, the nature class is replaced by the science class in primary school. In the aspect of the teaching method, "science (grade3-6) curriculum standards " pointed out clearly that "Inquiry is the core of scientific study". Then "The primary school science curriculum standard" (revised edition) increased some sentences, for example "The science curriculum in primary school has very important position as the other major disciplines" and "Science inquiry is the most important way to learn", to emphasize the importance of primary school science curriculum. At the same time, the standards also emphasize that. ALL of the above highlight the core position of inquiry in science education.So, the new round curriculum reform has been carried out for more than ten years, how the level of inquiry in the primary school science curriculum? While, there is no one to research this problem. According to the characteristics of education in our country, this article takes the "inquiry levels" as the core to research the expected course (the course expected to reach in accordance with the primary science textbook) inquiry levels in primary school by the method of text analysis, and to research the status quo of the actual course (the real course presented in the class) inquiry levels in primary school by the method of classroom observation. Then summarize the characteristics and differences of the two (the expected course and the actual course). Finally, through the results of questionnaire survey, interview, and classroom observation, this article attempts to analyze the causes of the status quo in order to provide reference for the further implementation of inquiry teaching in the primary school science curriculum implementation, to make contributing in promoting the primary school science curriculum reform to success. This article is carried out in accordance with the tool construction, the determination of research object, case analysis, the data statistics and the conclusion of research.This article belongs to the project of "the Reciprocity Learning in Teacher Education and School Education between China-Canada". In order to get more information that is meaningful and helpful to this project, this article determines the southwest university affiliated primary school as the research object according to the method of case study. In the scope of research, according to the division of primary school science curriculum, we determine the primary school science textbook (grade 3-6) published by the education science press in 2002 as the research content of the expected course. In the meantime, we collected 20 sections of science curriculum teaching cases from grade three, grade four and grade six as the research content of the actual course. We also interviewed two science teachers, and recorded the classroom to provide the basis for research.At first, on the basis of the level of inquiry system which is putted forward by Dr. Xinyu Zhang who comes from the east China normal university, combined with the analysis of the characteristics of the primary school science disciplines and the observation of the actual class, we modify the system putted forward by Dr. Zhang, and get a new level of inquiry system which has six links, named Raising Questions, Conjecturing and Assuming, Making Plans, Implementing Plans, Analyzing and Demonstrating, Reflecting and Communicating, and four levels, named level 0-Missing Inquiry, level 1-Restrictive Inquiry, level 2-Guided Inquiry, level 3-Autonomous Inquiry.Then, using the level of inquiry system to evaluate the expected course and the actual course, we found that: ① The inquiry levels in the expected course and the actual course are both between restrictive inquiry and guided inquiry. In addition, the inquiry level in the actual course is lower than that in the expected level. ② In terms of the expected course, among the four grades, besides Reflecting and Communicating link, significant differences of inquiry level exist in the other five links. While, among the knowledge areas, besides Making Plans link, no differences of inquiry level exist in the other five links. Therefore, grades have more significant effect on inquiry levels than knowledge areas. ③ Significant differences exist in each links. Thereinto, the Implementing Plans link has the highest inquiry level belongs to Guided Inquiry. However, the Conjecturing and Assuming link has the lowest inquiry level occurs a serious missing. ⑤ Obvious differences exist between the two science teachers.On the basis of the research above, and depending on the results of questionnaire, interview, and classroom observation, this article finds that the influence factors of primary school science inquiry levels include the characteristics of textbook and classroom, learners’ cognitive level, teachers’science inquiry belifs, the school curriculum resources inputs, society and family.Finally, based on the research obtained above, we get some enlightenment about textbook writing and teaching activities, and get some reflection in terms of perfecting the research tools and expanding the research objects.