Abstract:
This thesis investigates the experiences of low efficacious students within an inquiry learning
context. The research took place in a junior college in Auckland, New Zealand catering to Year
7-10 students. Interviews were conducted with three students with different self-efficacy
profiles and one teacher, who is part of the project-based learning team across the school.
Bandura’s (1977) self-efficacy construct forms the conceptual framework for interpreting the
students’ experiences and beliefs around inquiry learning. Overall, the study suggests that while
low efficacious students express positivity towards inquiry learning, they lack of confidence in
their ability to self-regulate their learning, citing habitual task disengagement and maladaptive
strategy use. This contrasts with the high efficacious student who reported strong belief in her
self-regulatory ability and adaptive strategy use. The study also identifies the foregrounding of
the key competencies of the 2007 New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). The study suggests that
greater attention needs to be given to the efficacy profiles of students in inquiry learning
environments, as the learning experiences of students appear to differ considerably. This
finding has implications for both policy and practice in New Zealand secondary schools and in
particular the impact of inquiry learning practices and minimally guided instruction on certain
students.