Inquiry-based Instruction, Students’ Attitudes and Teachers’ Support Towards Science Achievement in Rural Primary Schools

The purpose of this study is to seek the relationship between inquiry-based instruction, students’ attitudes toward science and teachers’ support towards science achievement. It also looks at the gender differences in science achievement. This study was conducted among 149 students in a national primary school in a rural area of Kedah, Malaysia. Questionnaires were distributed among the students for feedback. The results indicated that female students perform better in science than male students. In addition, the regression results revealed that all three independent variables, namely inquiry-based instruction, students’ attitudes toward science and teachers’ support significantly influence science achievement among year five students. It was clear that the findings of this study have important implications for primary school students, specifically in evaluating science achievement. It is still unclear whether these findings could be generalized to other non-western countries.