Best Practices of Secondary Schools Offering Special Science Curriculum: An Appreciative Inquiry Toward the Development of a Primer in Science Investigatory Project

Schools are recognized once they produced students who got winning Science Investigatory Projects (SIP) in the science fair in any level. The best practices of each winning schools through the lens of the teacher on the SIP have not been explored in read literature. Also, there is no unified SIP primer that can be utilized by the schools. Therefore, the present study aimed to discover the best practices of secondary schools offering special science curriculum and the development of a primer in SIP. This study guided by phenomenology research design, uses purposive sampling technique with 14 most qualified teacher-participants from Schools Division office of Isabela. The validated researcher-made interview guide with the process of Appreciative Inquiry-4D model approach directed the researcher towards gathering relevant details vital to the determination of best practices. The lived-experience from the interview were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The best practices of schools offering special science curriculum are (1) teachers’ self-improvement and strong commitment in research endeavor, (2) mentoring student outside the school premises, (3) provision of conducive working atmosphere, (4) interdisciplinary and integrated approaches in research, (5) favorable scientific attitudes and research habits, (6) participation in science fair and engagement in research exhibit and promotion for continuous improvement of research, (7) familiarization of the INTEL ISEF Rules and Guidelines, (8) linkages to the other agencies for support, (9) students are connected to school and (10) adherence to the DepEd memorandum pertaining to the conduct of the national science and technology fair. Finally, the identification of the best practices contributes to the development and validation of SIP primer.