Factors influencing inquiry‐based science teaching in Vietnamese primary schools: A teacher perspective

Abstract Science is a fundamental subject in Vietnamese primary education and provides an important context for developing students’ scientific literacy and competencies. Inquiry‐based science teaching (IBST) can support critical thinking, problem‐solving, and scientific reasoning when it is appropriately structured and scaffolded. However, evidence on the factors shaping teachers’ implementation of inquiry‐based science teaching in Vietnamese primary schools remains limited. This study therefore examined five factors including educational program (PR), approach to teaching methods (AM), student characteristics (ST), teaching resources (RE), and teaching application (AP), and their relationships with inquiry‐based teaching effectiveness (EF). Data from 306 primary teachers in Ho Chi Minh City were analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability and exploratory factor analyses, multiple linear regression, and comparisons across grade level and teaching experience. The scales demonstrated acceptable‐to‐excellent internal consistency, and exploratory factor analysis supported a five‐factor structure for the independent variables and a distinct effectiveness construct. Regression analysis showed significant positive associations of AP, AM, and RE with EF and significant negative associations of PR and ST with EF. Grade‐level comparisons showed a significant difference for ST, while experience‐based comparisons indicated significant differences across the measured constructs. The findings indicate that teachers’ perceived effectiveness is associated not only with curriculum, student, and resource conditions but also with their capacity to orchestrate core scientific practices—questioning, investigation, evidence use, explanation, and communication. The study therefore contributes context‐specific evidence to primary natural science education and points to the need for science‐specific professional development and institutional support for inquiry‐based science teaching in Vietnamese primary schools.