Design and effectiveness of professional development programmes to support teachers in promoting students’ scientific inquiry competencies: a critical and systematic review of empirical studies

Promoting students’ scientific inquiry (SI) competencies is a central goal of science education worldwide. Despite the wealth of research on effective teaching practices, challenges persist in translating these into classroom practice, which is why the call for effective professional development (PD) programmes was made. This systematic review synthesises the design features of PD programmes to support teachers in promoting students’ SI competencies and critically evaluates their effectiveness. Analysing 33 empirical studies, we identified 21 design features, categorised into four categories: content, activities, collaboration and structure. The results indicate the frequent implementation of intensive teacher activities such as development of lessons, applying PD content in teachers’ classrooms and reflection, while other potentially relevant design features, such as development of assessment or development of curriculum, were underrepresented. Evidence suggests positive impacts on teachers’ knowledge and beliefs, classroom practice and students’ SI competencies. However, methodological weaknesses in many studies limit conclusions about effectiveness. This review provides a structured framework for educators, policymakers and researchers to design PD programmes to support teachers in promoting students’ SI competencies more effectively; it also identifies research gaps regarding methodological rigour, the evidence for the effectiveness of PD programmes and the link between specific design features and PD outcomes.