Inquiry Ability Research Articles

Strategies for Enhancing Young Children's Scientific Inquiry Skills

In recent years, with the continuous advancement of educational reform, the importance of scientific education in early childhood has become increasingly evident. Early childhood is a critical period for cognitive development and interest cultivation. Through scientific inquiry activities, young children’s cognitive development, problem-solving abilities, and curiosity about the surrounding world can be effectively promoted. However, the implementation of early childhood scientific inquiry education still faces numerous challenges, such as a lack of systematic theoretical guidance and insufficient strategies for improvement. This study aims to enhance the existing theoretical foundations of young children's scientific inquiry abilities and proposes specific strategies for improvement to foster the comprehensive development of children's scientific literacy.

유아대상 디자인씽킹을 활용한 창의적 문제해결 프로그램의 개발 및 효과

Objectives This study aims to develop and apply a creative problem-solving problem using design thinking for young children in the field to verify its effect. Methods In order to achieve the purpose, an experiment was conducted on 52 young children between the ages of 4-5 in Gyeonggi-do (26 in experimental group, 26 in control group). Young children in the experimental group participated in the 14-session program that was developed in this study. To verify the effects of program, significant positive changes were observed with creative problem-solving ability, creativity, and scientific inquiry ability set as the dependent variable. Results The analysis of the effects of creative problem-solving program using design thinking displayed that the young children in experimental group who participated in the program displayed significant increases in the overall scores of creative problem-solving ability, creativity, and scientific inquiry ability and the scores of sub-variables compared to the control group that did not participate in the program. Conclusions The creative problem-solving program using design thinking that was developed in this study is applicable in the early childhood education field as an effective program for future core competencies, which are creative problem-solving ability, creativity, and scientific inquiry ability, of young children between the ages of 4-5. The program developed in this study may be utilized actively in the arly childhood education field in order to play a part in cultivating young children’s creative problem-solving ability to contribute to the fostering of human resources that can respond to the future society.

The Individual Division of Food Hoarding in Autumn Brandt's Voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii).

Brandt's voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii), one of the main non-hibernating rodent species in the typical grassland of Inner Mongolia, live in groups and have the behavioral habit of hoarding food in underground warehouses in autumn to prepare for the winter food shortage ahead. The division of labor and cooperation are typical behavior patterns of gregarious mammals, but it is unclear whether Brandt's voles exercise a division of labor in food hoarding before overwintering. To explore the division of food hoarding in Brandt's voles during the autumn period, three treatments, namely added food, added food + competition, and control, were set up with three replicates. An infrared camera was positioned to observe and record the behavior of Brandt's voles under different treatments. Next, behavioral experiments regarding food-hoarding division were performed on individuals. The results showed that (1) Brandt's voles had two types of hoarding behavior, namely high food hoarding and low food hoarding, but not all individuals displayed hoarding behavior. (2) In all treatments, feeding behavior, which was the most important type of behavior, accounted for the highest proportion of all behaviors. (3) There was no significant difference in body weight and sex between high- and low-food-hoarding individuals of Brandt's voles, and there was no significant difference between high- and low-food-hoarding individuals in other divisions of labor either. (4) There was no significant difference in inquiry ability between high- and low-food-hoarding groups, but there was a significant difference in spatial memory. High-food-hoarding individuals had greater spatial memory. In summary, Brandt's voles had two types of hoarding behavior: high food hoarding and low food hoarding. Furthermore, high-food-hoarding individuals had greater spatial memory.

Measuring scientific inquiry ability related to hands-on practice: An automated approach based on multimodal data analysis

Measuring scientific inquiry ability related to hands-on practice: An automated approach based on multimodal data analysis

Engaging seventh-grade students in prediction-observation-explanation of plant absorbance/transport phenomena: impact on relational conceptual changes and scientific inquiry abilities

ABSTRACT This study examined the impact of a Prediction-Observation-Explanation (POE) intervention on 15 seventh-grade students’ relational conceptual changes and scientific inquiry abilities as they investigated the plant absorbance/transport phenomena in a photosynthesis learning sequence. The variation theory of learning that promotes intellectual empathy underpinned the study’s pedagogy. A granular phenomenography analysis of students’ pre-post inter-intra-explanations through writing and drawing resulted in seven theoretical descriptive categories. A relational conceptual change perspective involved in the interventional investigations resulted in 1) adding and deleting categories of ideas from pre-to-post teaching, 2) change in the number of students within the categories of ideas, 3) the replacement of everyday language with scientific knowledge, and 4) the complexity of students’ responses from pre-to post-teaching. In assessing students’ scientific inquiry ability levels with a POE analytic rubric of writing and drawing worksheets, 18% and 82% were developing and proficient, respectively.

Physical Robots in Education: A Systematic Review Based on the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Framework

Driven by the wave of artificial intelligence, the educational practice and application of robots have become increasingly common. Despite extensive coverage in the literature on various aspects of educational robots, there are still unexplored avenues, particularly regarding robotic support, robotic personality, and challenges in their applications. This study presented a systematic review of high-quality empirical research on the use of physical robots in educational settings. A total of 92 relevant papers from the Web of Science database were analyzed. Employing the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) framework, we investigated research questions across seven components, including the learning domain, teaching strategy, robot types, learning results, problems with using robots, robotic support, and robotic personality. The findings revealed that robots are most prevalently employed in language learning applications. When opting for teaching strategies, educators tend to favor those that incorporate physical interaction. Concurrently, humanoid robots emerge as the preferred choice among many. These robots, in human–robot interaction scenarios, often exhibit an agreeable personality. In terms of evaluating learning results, cognitive aspects like thinking, creativity, self-regulation, and inquiry ability are especially emphasized. Such results are frequently influenced by the informational and emotional support provided by robots. Nonetheless, challenges encountered by teachers, learners, and robots in this process are not to be overlooked. The findings of this study contributed to future applications of robotics in education.

포디프레임을 활용한 오르골 제작과 창의적 활동을 포함한 융합교육프로그램의 교육적 효과

Objectives In this study, we investigated the educational effectiveness of a convergence education program in which students make music boxes and participate in creative activities using 4Dframes. Methods For the purpose, we developed a convergence education program that includes music box production and creative activities using 4Dframes. And this research was conducted with a total of 12 students, including 4 students of middle school, and 8 students of elementary school. Students were divided into four teams and took classes, and a survey consisting of 6 items on a Likert scale was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the program. Additionally, for qualitative research, three researchers independently analyzed video recordings and transcriptions, including students' activities, in-depth interviews, observation records, and evaluation meetings. Results The convergence education program consisting of a total of 10 sessions was developed and administered to students to confirm its educational effectiveness. Through the convergence education program that links music education, engineering, science, and technology activities developed in this study, changes in perception regard-ing students' enjoyment of music box making, self-evaluation of scientific inquiry ability, awareness of creative ability, preference for music concerto, heip with studying sheet music and playing musical insturments, and desire for music creation were confirmed. In particular, unlike traditional music classes where students play the piano while reading sheet music, they were able to gain a specific and intuitive understanding of playing music through creative activities such as making a music box with a 4Dframe and modifying it in various ways, and had a positive experience with music related activities. Conclusions Teachers can contribute to educational success by actively listening to students' ideas to stimulate their thinking processes, acknowledging the work students produce, and working collaboratively with students to explore the significance of these activities. Additionally, as digital technology makes it possible for students to take on the roles of composer, performer, and listener simultaneously. As future changes may occur in the way stu-dents engage with music in education, teachers must be equipped to design teaching methods that take advant-age of the opportunities offered by new technologies.

Examining the Empathy factors in Science Class (EfSC) Between Early and Late Adolescents

Objectives This study aims to validate the Empathy factors in Science Class (EfSC; Chun et al., 2018) as a measure for scientific empathy in early and late adolescents. Methods The instrument consists of scientific empathy with others and empathy with the problem situation. To achieve this objective, a survey was conducted on 215 middle school students (early adolescents) and 473 high school students (late adolescents). Confirmatory factor analysis and multi-group analysis were employed to validate the instrument. Additionally, domain-general aspects of EfSC were explored by correlating empathetic factors with the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI; Davis, 1980) and scientific inquiry ability with the Test of Science Process Skills (TSPS: Kwon & Kim, 1994). Results The results revealed a high correlation between most factors of EfSC and IRI, indicating convergent validity. However, a relatively low correlation was observed with TSPS, suggesting a domain-specific nature of EfSC. Analysis of group features based on age and gender showed that factors related to empathy with others were influenced by age and gender, while factors related to empathy with problem situations were influenced by the interaction of age and gender. Further exploration indicated that females and high school students exhibited superior abilities in empathizing with others. In contrast, males, especially high school students, demonstrated higher abilities in empathy with problem situations. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) supported these findings. Conclusions This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on whether EfSC is a suitable instrument for assessing scientific empathy across the adolescence span. The nuanced differences observed in empathy factors based on age and gender underscore the importance of considering developmental and gender-related variations in assessing scientific empathy.

Redesigning a first year physics lab course on the basis of the procedural and conceptual knowledge in science model

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Instructional labs: Improving traditions and new directions.] Acknowledgement of the limited learning outcomes in our first-year physics lab course, strikingly similar to the observed and reported issues in literature, incited renewal of the course with a focus on developing students’ ability to engage in experimental physics research. The —addressing different types of knowledge required for scientific investigation—was used as a “guide” in the transformation of the course. This educational design research study—distinguishing three stages—describes our approach in transforming the course and provides theoretical insights and practical solutions through the combined study of both the process of learning and the means that support that process. The merits and trade-offs of our approach and the effectiveness of the course transformation are evaluated through surveys, interviews, and assessment of students’ inquiry skills. The findings provide insights into the application of the PACKS model and its effectiveness in facilitating students’ development of physics inquiry abilities. The results reveal an alignment between perceived, attained and intended learning goals. The self-conceived experiment at the end of the course showcases students’ successful integration of the targeted knowledge types, previously addressed in isolated “preparatory” activities. We argue that the PACKS-model and the design principles are useful attributes when transforming a traditional lab activity, but also specify the limitations. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

관찰을 강조한 과학 탐구 수업에 대한 고등학생들의 인식

In this study, we investigated high school students’ perceptions of inquiry classes focused on observation. This class was conducted for 6 days, 5 hours a day, using science writing heuristic, and students participated in groups of 3 by choosing one of the topics of boiling and freezing points of substances. Students actively participated in all problem-solving processes, including the research problem. The level of students’ argumentation shown in the report analysis generally increased as the class progressed. Students responded that the activity of stating observation results helped improve their inquiry ability, and for that reason, they suggested that various observations were possible due to detailed observations. In addition, he responded that explaining the validity of the argument using the observation helped improve his argumentation ability, and that he was able to maintain the consistency of the report through activities to explain the validity of the argument with his observation, and that he was able to think logically because he repeated this process.

Implementation of Worksheet Based Inquiry Lesson to Improve Student Numeracy Ability in Human Digestive System Material

The lack of student’s numeracy skills is caused by low inquiry abilities in the learning process. This problem is one of the factors that affect students' learning independence. To improves students’ thinking or numeracy skills, this study aims to investigate students’ preliminary science and numerical literacy in one of public school located in Bandung Regency. Students’ literacy skills were assessed prior to the implementation of learning strategies or media aimed to promote their literacy ability. This research aims to analyze the improvement in numeracy literacy skills through the implementation of Inquiry Lesson-based worksheets focused on the topic of human digestive system. The research employed a quasi-experimental method with a pre-test and post-test non-randomized control group design. Participants were selected from two science classes in 11th grade (XI MIPA) using cluster random sampling technique. The results showed that there was a significant difference with the experiment group demonstrating a higher increase in numeracy ability compared to control group, indicated by the N-gain value. Therefore, the implementation of Inquiry Lesson-based worksheets able to improve students’ numeracy skills

Exploring of Inquiry Skills of Teacher Students: Biology, Physics, and Elementary School Teacher Education

Inquiry skills are needed by a teacher to create effective learning experiences so that the overall quality of education can improve. This becomes even more important for distance education students, whose characteristics include being independent and active learners. This research aims to determine the level of inquiry abilities of students in the biology education, physics education, and elementary school teacher education programs at the Open University. The subjects of this research were 96 students from various regions. The survey method was implemented by providing an instrument in the form of questions to measure inquiry skills, which were distributed via Google Forms. The research results show that students’ inquiry skills vary. Students in the Biology Education and Physics Education study programs are at an intermediate level, but students in the Elementary School Teacher Education study program are at a low level of inquiry skills. Inquiry skills for each dimension also vary. Based on these results, efforts are needed to improve the inquiry skills of distance education students in the form of training or other habits so that they can implement them.

Video feedback combined with peer role-playing: a method to improve the teaching effect of medical undergraduates.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of implementation of video feedback combined with peer role-playing (PRP) teaching method in medical undergraduates adopting problem-based learning (PBL) teaching mode. The undergraduates of five-year clinical medicine who get enrollment of Wuhan local University from 2016 and 2018 were selected to be the research objects. The same grade level is randomly divided into several groups to carry out PBL, with 6-10 students in each group. Following the principle of voluntary participation, 34 students were enrolled in the study group and 33 students in the control group finally. The research regards group as the unit, and study report in group should be carried out to fulfill the research. In the study group, the students were asked to perform PRP report, and the report videos were used for feedback. At the same time, the control group reported by PPT, and the feedback was carried out according to the PPT. At the end of the study, the "Competency Improvement Satisfaction Questionnaire (CISQ)" was distributed to investigate students' satisfaction with this teaching method to improve their ability, Arizona Clinical Interview Score (ACIR) was administered in Chinese by a trained teacher unrelated using PRP method to assess students' clinical inquiry ability and communication skills, and theory test was performed to assess mastery of theoretical knowledge. The results show that the study group is superior to the control group in improving the interest of learning and the ability of independent learning, interpersonal communication and active problem solving. Although it is in terms of the confidence in becoming a real doctor and the ability of teamwork, language expression, clinical thinking cultivated, active knowledge acquired and understood that study group are better than the control group, the difference was not statistically significant. ACIR shows that the study group is significantly better than the control group in organization, timeline planning, and transition statements, openly questioning, smooth progress, and avoiding repetition, summarizing, understandable language, documentation and total score. There is no significant difference in eye contact and no interruption. The differences between the two groups are not statistically significant in terms of responsing to concerns, positive feedback, and additional questions. The theoretical test scores of the study group are significantly higher than those of the control group. Video feedback combined with peer role-playing teaching method implemented in medical undergraduates adopting PBL teaching mode is effective, it could stimulate interest in learning actively, improve interpersonal communication ability, improve learning efficiency and clinical knowledge and skills, and improve the confidence of becoming a real doctor. It is worthy of further research and promotion.

Building National Character Through Social Studies Based on Society 4.0 Values Post-Pandemic COVID-19

This paper’s fundamental problem is building national character through social studies based on Society 4.0 in the post-COVID-19 pandemic. This is because the learning process during the COVID-19 pandemic takes place online using a platform to support learning. The use of the platform is a problem that has not been touched on, namely, the formation of student character. This study uses a qualitative approach to produce an overview of social studies learning methods based on the national character to improve teacher professional competence. A total of 35 social studies teachers were taken as samples. The results obtained in this study, namely the solution in the form of developing learning methods that tend to be monotonous, which so far have been carried out, must be combined with methods that provide more space for students to develop their potential. In this connection, national character is interpreted as a way of thinking and behaving that shows the differences of everyone to live and work together for a better life for society and the nation. The 2013 curriculum on social studies subjects was developed as an integrative social studies subject, not as separate disciplines. Social studies subjects are, of course, applicative-oriented education, as the development of inquiry abilities, learning abilities, and character education such as curiosity, creativity, honesty, and the development of a caring and responsible attitude towards the surrounding environment and social relations.
 Keywords: building national character, social studies learning, community values 4.0

Development of WIV-S Physics e-Learning to Improve Inquiry Abilities and Digital Literacy of Prospective Science Teacher Students

Virtual inquiry has emerged as a new trend in science learning by conducting scientific investigations through digital platforms. The context of this study focuses on developing the Science Virtual Inquiry Web (WIV-S) to improve prospective science teacher students’ inquiry abilities and digital literacy. The development method in this study refers to the Hannafin-Peck model with three main phases: needs assessment, design, and development/implementation. Research instruments included interview guidelines, observations, and questionnaires, with a sample size of 58 participants. The research produced a WIV-S physics e-learning prototype, which was declared feasible according to expert judgment of content, media, and learning. Students responded positively to WIV-S, which has provided meaningful, exploration-based learning opportunities and ease of conducting virtual-based scientific investigations.

Inquiry ability of students to develop cognitive ability in learning hydrostatic pressure

This research aims to implement questions through problem stimuli regarding hydro static pressure based on inquiry investigations. This research is limited to conducting experiments because the focus of the study is analyzing the cognitive abilities of the questions tested on 106 junior high school students. This study uses a quantitative exploratory method that aims to improve the understanding that students go through for their initial inquiry and perspective abilities during the science learning process. Data collection was carried out using a test instrument in the form of description questions whose inquiry indicators had been developed referring to the National Research Council (NRC) indicators, plus a questionnaire to identify students’ perceptions as a secondary data source. The results showed that all stages of inquiry activities had a low percentage of 50.0%. The involvement of students has yet to be able to ask investigative questions in formulating problems to be a significant start, as well as predicting in hypothesising. So it affects the activities of designing experiments and analysing data. This causes scientific reasoning to be challenging to communicate. In comparison, student interest in science learning is only around 51.2%. This proves that the inquiry process aspects are tied to one another, and the role of students must be maximally fully involved in every stage. Teacher and technology support needs to be harmonised to optimise further research.

Inquiry Ability Profile of SMAN 8 Pontianak Students on Salt Hydrolysis Subject Material

The inquiry ability is an ability to obtain information through observation or experimentation to solve a problem by using critical and logical thinking skills which include several stages, namely the stages of formulating problems, formulating hypotheses, analyzing data, and concluding. This study aimed to determine student’s ability to inquire about the salt hydrolysis material at SMAN 8 Pontianak. The type of research used is descriptive research using the case study method. The research subjects were 20 students of class XI science at SMAN 8 Pontianak. The instrument used is an inquiry-ability test in the form of 4 essay questions and interview guidelines as a supporting instrument. The results showed that the average ability to inquire of students was included in the good category. The results of the analysis on each aspect stated that the average student inquiry ability in the aspect of formulating problems obtained a value of 80.6% and was classified as a good category. The aspect of formulating a hypothesis has an average value of 73% with a good category. The aspect of analyzing the data has a value of 55.8% with a fairly good category. While the aspect of formulating conclusions has a value of 60.6% with a fairly good category.

Discussion on the Effective Use of Error Resources in Primary School Mathematics Classroom

With the development of the times, most primary and secondary schools have begun to carry out curriculum and teaching reform, in order to furthercultivate students’ ability of inquiry thinking. Mathematics is a relativelyabstract course. With students’ high thinking ability, they are faced withmany problems and challenges. In this process, the teaching mode ofteachers is too traditional. In class, teachers always give endless lectures, sothat students have little time for independent thinking and inquiry learning.At the same time, teachers pay too much attention to the use of “correctresources” in the teaching process, but ignore the use of “wrong resources”and the use of value. The long-term continuation of this teaching modewill reduce the enthusiasm and initiative of primary school students inmathematics learning, and learning is very bad for students. Therefore,teachers should pay attention to the correct use of “wrong resources”, andmake effective use of these resources for classroom teaching, in order toimprove students’ learning enthusiasm and the cultivation of inquiry ability.

How Far are Students’ Science Thinking in Inquiry Learning?

This study aims to identify science learning activities for junior high school students. The research design is descriptive and quantitative. The sample in this study was 38 students, and the questions tested consisted of 28 items analyzed by Rasch analysis. Question items are correct if students can answer questions according to their guided inquiry abilities. The results showed that almost all samples could not participate in science learning using guided inquiry. Of the 28 questions tested on students, only three had a score above 50%, and the rest were almost, on average, below 50%. It can be concluded that students have yet to realize that guided inquiry is the essence of science learning, which helps them conduct and develop science learning in the classroom. This study recommends the application of guided inquiry to students to be able to harmonize thinking in science learning in junior high school.

Development and Application of an Engineering-Focused STEAM Program Based on a Project Approach for Young Children: The Emergent Approach

본 연구는 유아 대상 프로젝트 접근법 기반 공학적 STEAM 프로그램을 개발⋅적용하여 유아의 과학적 탐구능력과 수학적 문제해결력 및 창의성의 변화를 살펴보는데 목적이 있다. 프로그램을 개발하기 위해서 문헌고찰과 요구도 조사를 진행하였으며, I시 S구에 위치한 P공립 유치원 만 5세 유아 21명을 대상으로 2022년 4월 18일부터 6월 10일까지 매일 오전 일과 시간에 유아들과 선정한 ‘자동차’를 주제로 총 8주 동안 적용하였다. 프로그램 적용과정에서 자료를 수집하여 질적으로 분석하였으며, 프로그램 적용 시점에 따른 변화를 살펴보기 위해 관찰 체크리스트를 통해 수집한 양적 자료들을 반복측정 분산분석을 실시하여 분석하였다. 본 프로그램은 프로젝트 접근법 모형과 유아 공학설계 과정 모형을 융합한 교수학습단계로 구성된 주제선정 및 사전경험 파악하기의 문제탐색 단계, 문제탐구 및 해결의 설계 단계, 시도 단계, 해결책 단계, 문제해결과정을 공유하는 공유 단계로 진행되도록 개발되었다. 질적 자료와 양적 자료의 분석결과 유아들이 자동차를 구체적으로 탐색하며 조작하여 구성하는 과정과 새로운 구성물로 변화시키는 기회를 통해 과학적 탐구능력과 수학적 문제해결력, 창의성에서 긍정적인 변화가 관찰되었다. 본 연구결과는 유아 놀이중심 교육과정에 있어 창의융합인재 양성을 위한 모델 중 하나로 유아 대상 프로젝트 접근법 기반 공학적 STEAM 프로그램을 제시하였으며, 향후 유아보육⋅교육현장에 공학적 STEAM 프로그램 운영을 위한 교육과정 개발의 자료로 활용될 수 있다.This research aims to develop and apply an engineering-focused STEAM program based on a project approach to examine changes in young children’s scientific inquiry ability, mathematical problem-solving ability, and creativity. A literature review and a demand survey on the theme of “cars” were conducted in P public kindergarten located in S-district, I city for eight weeks on 21 five-year-old children. The data were analyzed qualitatively, and to examine the changes from the program, the quantitative observation checklist data were analyzed by conducting repeated measures ANOVA. This program combined the project approach model and the early childhood engineering design process model to the teaching-learning stages: the exploration stage of topic selection and grasping prior experience, the design stage of problem solution exploration, the trial stage, the solution stage, and the problem-solving process sharing stage. Based on the analysis of collected data, the exploring, operating, and constructing the car and the opportunity to transform it into a new structure brought positive changes in young children’s scientific inquiry ability, mathematical problem-solving ability, and creativity. These results suggest the engineering-focused STEAM program as one of the models for fostering creative-convergence talents and provides data for developing a curriculum to operate an engineering-focused STEAM program in early childhood care and education.