The purpose of this study is to explore pre-service science teacher satisfaction and perception about the
inquiry-based chemistry experiment. Questionnaire surveys were conducted twice, during the midpoint and final weeks of
the semester, with 20 pre-service science teachers taking the curriculum subject ‘inquiry-based chemistry laboratory’. In
addition, one-on-one interviews were conducted with the survey respondents. The results of this study are as follows. First,
pre-service science teacher satisfaction with the open inquiry was higher in the second survey, with scores of 3.6 points in
the first survey and 4.2 points in the second survey. Second, the pre-service science teachers had positive views about the
open inquiry, as it enabled them to have a sense of ownership, provided opportunities to share diverse ideas and communicate
with members, and offered interesting and new experiences. Third, the pre-service science teachers indicated that they
experienced difficulties as they were unfamiliar with the open inquiry, were anxious as there was no fixed answer, and felt
uncomfortable due to the long experimental time. However, as time went by, the pre-service science teachers reported positive
effects, rather than difficulties, as they progressed with the open inquiry. Lastly, by experiencing the ‘inquiry-based
chemistry laboratory’, the pre-service science teachers perceived the open inquiry as having positive effects. Hence, the
open inquiry can be regarded as an opportunity for the pre-service science teachers to experience and predict the difficulties
that students might face.