Reframing Senior High Science Pedagogy for Curriculum Strengthening and Inquiry Readiness

Abstract

This study explored how reframed Senior High School Science pedagogy under the strengthened curriculum related to learner inquiry readiness in Enrile, Cagayan. A cross-sectional multisource explanatory design with a pedagogical alignment component was employed among 10 Senior High School Science teachers and 100 Grade 11 learners. Data were gathered using validated teacher and learner instruments measuring curriculum coherence, inquiry facilitation, evidence-centered assessment, adaptive scaffolding, and inquiry readiness. The instruments demonstrated strong internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.931 and 0.918. Descriptive statistics, a pedagogical alignment index, and Bayesian multilevel regression were used in the analysis. Results showed that teachers reported stronger implementation of reframed Science pedagogy than learners experienced, with the widest discrepancy occurring in adaptive scaffolding. Learners demonstrated generally high inquiry readiness, although question formulation and evidence handling remained comparatively weaker. Bayesian estimates showed that learner-experienced Science pedagogy positively predicted inquiry readiness (β = 0.47), while larger teacher-learner pedagogical gaps were associated with lower readiness (β = -0.26). The model explained 46% of the variation in inquiry readiness, with 13% attributable to classroom-level differences. The findings indicate that curriculum strengthening becomes more meaningful when inquiry-oriented practices are consistently enacted and recognized by learners. Strengthening learner-generated questioning, evidence use, adaptive support, and classroom alignment is therefore essential for advancing inquiry readiness in Senior High School Science.