The Interrogative Model of Inquiry and Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine how the Interrogative Modelof Inquiry (I-Model), developed by Jaakko Hintikka and Matti Sintonenfor the purposes of epistemology and philosophy of science, could be applied to analyze elementary schoolstudents' process of inquiry in computer-supported learning. We review the basic assumptions of I-Model,report results of empirical investigation of the model in the context of computer-supportedcollaborative learning, and discuss pedagogical implications of the model. The results of the studyfurnished evidence that elementary school students were able to transform initially vagueexplanation-seeking question to a series of more specific subordinate questions while pursuing theirknowledge-seeking inquiry. The evidence presented indicates that, in an appropriate environment, it is entirelypossible for young students, with computer-supportfor collaborative learning, to engage in sophisticatedknowledge seeking analogous to scientific inquiry. We argue that the interrogative approach to inquiry canproductively be applied for conceptualizing inquiry in the context of computer-supported learning.