THE USE OF INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE STUDENTS' LIFE SKILLS: THE CURRENT STATE OF SCIENCE EDUCATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Inquiry based science learning strategies are beneficial in developing higher order thinking skills in the students. The main goal of present study was to find out the current state of Science Teaching with a focus on the application of Inquiry-based Science Learning Strategies to improve secondary school students' life skills. Here, Life skills comprises of four thinking skills: critical thinking, creative thinking, decision making, and problem solving. The current study is a descriptive research study in which data from science teachers is gathered using survey Method. Data was collected from 52 science teachers from secondary schools of Pernem Taluka of North Goa district of State of Goa, of whom 32 were given a rating scale designed by the researcher and 20 teachers, 15 of whom were senior science teachers and 5 of whom were headmasters with science teaching expertise, were interviewed. According to the findings of the study, the majority of science teachers in Pernem Taluka rarely or sometime use inquiry-based strategies to teach science to secondary school students in order to improve life skills such as critical thinking, creative thinking, decision making, and problem solving.