Overcoming Barriers to Inquiry-Based Learning in Primary Schools: Institutional Constraints and Strategies for Effective Implementation

Abstract

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is a learning method that is widely promoted as a means of developing critical thinking and problem solving skills in primary education. It can be difficult, however, to implement this successfully, especially in resource-poor environments, due to institutional and environmental constraints. The second phase of this study that focused on IBL challenges was a qualitive study that explored institutional and environmental challenges facing the implementation of IBL in government primary schools and suggested practical solutions to overcome them. The data was collected by conducting semi-structured written interviews with 20 primary school teachers in Grades (1-5) of Government schools from Chakdara, Lower Dir, Pakistan. Themes emerged from the data through thematic analysis focusing on institutional influences and teachers' recommendations for solutions. The results indicated four main institutional problems: extreme lack of teaching learning materials, overcrowding problems, curricula that are examination-oriented and lack administrative and policy support. Notwithstanding these limitations, teachers indicated their readiness for IBL and suggested some practical steps such as ensuring availability of affordable locally available resources, flexibility regarding the curriculum, allowing sustained hands-on professional development, offering mentoring support in the school, and changing school policy that favors inquiry skills. The study ends by stating that systemic and institutional changes are needed for meaningful implementation of IBL. Structural conditions are necessary, individual teacher efforts are not enough. The results have practical implications for policymakers, curriculum designers, and teacher educators in similar low-resource primary school settings who want to foster learning spaces for inquiry learning.