Benefits of a Small Research Study for the Teacher Education at a University of Applied Sciences: A Case Study

Abstract

At a university of applied sciences, the obstacles to doing research are time, support, and the lack of a research tradition. It is therefore important to obtain as much as possible from the research studies that can be implemented. This article describes the benefits that could be obtained from a small study called Inclu-S-ed. In this study, the effect of an inquiry-based learning (IBL) science course on the knowledge and motivation of 11-12-year-old pupils in a culturally diverse primary classroom was investigated. Although the results of this study were rather limited, several benefits for teacher education could be obtained at various levels:(1) the IBL science course developed in the study is now used as a professional development course for in--service primary teachers and is embedded into the curriculum of pre-service primary teacher education, (2) Inclu-S-ed was the basis for two new research studies, and (3) participating in Inclu-S-ed represented professional development for the lecturers involved.