Abstract
The purpose of this study has two-folds: (A) to explore the structure of teachers' perception of emphasis in science teaching; and (B) to examine the prevailing instructional method utilized by inquiry oriented science teachers. The first part of the study focuses on measurement of the teaching emphasis on inquiry science and examined the relationships among four factors in more detail through a structural equation model. Second, the relationship between teachers' emphasis on inquiry science and their classroom practice was explored. The results of two analyses present the findings as follows: (A) The exploratory factor analysis of various teaching emphases revealed that various teaching emphasis could be classified into four factors: (a) development of inquiry skill in science; (b) development of affective domain in science; (c) development of awareness of science history; and (d) development of knowledge and understanding in science. (B) It also revealed that the emphasis on inquiry science has a potential to associate to the emphasis on science concept and knowledge understandings. The study revealed that the emphasis on inquiry science is the most influential factor in the hands-on science approach.
