Teacher-directed and inquiry-based science instructional practices have
been shown to influence students’ performance on science assessments.
However, only a small body of research has examined the associations of
teacher-directed and inquiry-based science instructional practices with
science-related dispositions among adolescent students using nationally
representative samples drawn from countries across the globe. Hence,
the present study, employing multilevel path analyses as an analytic
strategy, investigated the relations of teacher-directed and inquirybased science instruction to students’ science-related dispositions, such
as enjoyment of science, interest in broad science topics, instrumental
motivation to learn science, science self-efficacy, and epistemological
beliefs about science, among 428,197 adolescent students from 15,644
schools in 66 countries. Results of multilevel path analyses, after controlling for student-, school-, and country-level demographic and socioeconomic factors, revealed that teacher-directed science instruction was
significantly positively related to adolescent students’ enjoyment of
science, interest in broad science topics, instrumental motivation to
learn science, science self-efficacy, and epistemological beliefs about
science. Similarly, inquiry-based science instruction was also significantly
positively linked to enjoyment of science, interest in broad science topics,
instrumental motivation to learn science, and science self-efficacy.
However, inquiry-based science instruction was not significantly associated with students’ epistemological beliefs about science. The findings
of the current study suggest that a blend of teacher-directed and inquirybased science instruction may be more appropriate for developing and
nurturing students’ positive dispositions toward science. However,
science teachers may require sufficient training and support to successfully implement the blended instructio