Inquiry-based Approach Research Articles

Utilization of Inquiry-Based Approach and its Influence on Students’ Attitudes towards Biology in Secondary Schools in Kiambu County, Kenya

Attitude incorporates beliefs and ideas, feelings and tendency of like or dislike about a subject or an object. Attitude towards Biology is related to motivation and influences performance (Diaz et al., 2021). One of the ways students are motivated to learn is when they are taught Biology through inquiry-based approach (IBA). They become interested, and develop positive attitudes towards Biology (Annan et al., 2019). The purpose of this study was to determine students’ attitudes towards Biology when using IBA in Githunguri sub-County, Kiambu County, Kenya. The research question was, what are students’ attitudes towards Biology when learning through IBA? The study targeted 37 public secondary schools, 1,194 Form 3 students and 14 teachers. Purposive sampling was employed to select 11 secondary schools with laboratories and 14 experienced teachers while simple random sampling was used to select 344 students. Questionnaires and interview were employed for data collection. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive analysis and Statistical Package of Social Sciences. Qualitative data was analysed using narratives. The findings show that most students have positive attitudes towards Biology when taught using IBA. They found Biology as requirement for careers such as medicine. Although most students have positive attitudes towards Biology, some have inadequate understanding of basic concepts due to difficult Biology terminologies. It is concluded that a range of factors including, availability of resources which include computers and internet facilities, are key to helping students understand difficult concepts and do research in Biology. Ensuring the validity of test questions in the Biology papers set for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), will facilitate the development of positive attitudes and interest in Biology. It is recommended that Teachers should be provided with more resources to simplify Biology concepts and terminologies in order to alleviate fears, thereby encouraging students’ positive attitudes towards Biology.

Inquiry-Based Approach and Achievement in Mathematics Pro-cess Skills among Pre-School Children in Kajiado North Sub-County, Kajiado County, Kenya

This study was designed to determine the effect of an inquiry-based approach on pre-school learners’ acquisition of mathematics process skills. The study adopted a quasi-experimental research design to determine the differences in performance between control and experimental groups. A post-test was administered to both experimental and control groups, and the scores were analyzed by descriptive statistics and t-test. Findings showed that activities involving inquiry-based approach were a precursor to higher achievement in mathematics. The study recommended of inquiry-based approach for application in teaching pre-school mathematics and other related activity areas based on its advantages in pre-school learners’ achievement in mathematics.

Technology integrated guided inquiry-based learning approach and pre-service mathematics teachers’ attitude towards learning geometry

The study investigated the effects of technology-integrated guided inquiry (TGIBL), guided inquiry (GIBL), and traditional (TRAD) strategies on pre-service mathematics teachers’ attitudes towards geometry in college of teacher educations. The study employed nonequivalent quasi-experimental design with two experimental groups and control group. A three-stage sampling method was used. The experimental groups were exposed to TGIBL (n=48) and GIBL (n=38), while comparison group (n=30) with TRAD approach. The geometry attitude scale (GAS) questionnaire was the instrument employed to collect data from 116 PSMT. A one-way analysis of covariance, multiple comparison test and paired sample t-test were used to analyze data. The results of the study revealed that pre-service mathematics teachers who were exposed to the TGIBL had gained positive attitudes towards learning geometry than their counterparts exposed to the GIBL and TRAD, respectively. Moreover, the group taught with GIBL also shown to have a statistically significant difference with TRAD on attitude. Similarly, paired sample t-test also favored post-test score. Based on the results, TGIBL and GIBL approach should be embraced in the college of teacher educations to reinforce favorable attitudes towards learning geometry among pre-service mathematics teachers.

Faites l’histoire vous-même. Des « docutubes » comme outil de connaissances, de réflexion critique, de formation d’opinion raisonnée et de construction d’attitudes

Today’s young people are constantly confronted with a multitude of (dis)information via (social) media. The creation of docutubes helps them to develop a critical attitude. Through an active, collaborative and inquiry-based learning approach, young people learn about a topic on the basis of historical and current sources, then form a substantiated opinion and reflect on which attitude they can adopt. Subsequently, they translate their ideas and opinions into an audiovisual story: a docutube. Next, they reflect on the creative process. In so doing, they combine reasoned thinking with the development of digital literacy.

Uncovering potential bias in engineering design: a comparative review of bias research in medicine

Abstract Engineering design research has focused on developing and refining methods and evaluating design education in design education, design research and design in practice. One important aspect that is not thoroughly investigated is the influence of bias on design within these spaces of design. Bias is known to impact the interpretation of information, decision-making and practices in all areas. These factors are vital in engineering design education, practice and research, emphasizing the importance of investigating bias. The first goal of this study is to highlight and synthesize existing bias research in design education, research and practice. The second goal is to identify areas where bias may be under-researched or under-reported in design. To achieve these goals, a comparative analysis is performed against a comparable field: medicine. Many parallels exist between both fields. Patient–provider and designer–end-user relationships are comparable. Medical education is comparable to design education with the cooperative, inquiry-based and integrated learning pedagogy approaches. Lastly, physicians and design engineers both solve cognitively complex systems-oriented problems. Leveraging research on bias in medicine enables us to highlight gaps in engineering design. Recommendations are made to help design researchers address these gaps.

Snail Races: An Inquiry-Based Approach to Learn Invasive Species Ecology

Snail Races: An Inquiry-Based Approach to Learn Invasive Species Ecology

Teaching Chinese Culture in English-a CLIL approach

This paper explores the integration of content and language learning in the context of teaching Chinese culture to English majors. Drawing on literature from Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), the paper proposes three key considerations for effective integration: identifying and justifying integration methods, addressing mismatches between language proficiency and cognitive ability, and adopting an inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning. The paper argues that successful integration depends on a symbiotic relationship between content, cognition, communication, and language, as well as the development of intercultural awareness. The paper concludes that while integration is a complex process that requires strategic planning and reflective evaluation, it can enhance the effectiveness of language learning and content acquisition, providing learners with a meaningful context for language and culture learning.

PEDAGOGICAL STRATEGIES WITH IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING THE JAPANESE LANGUAGE

The article addresses the choice of pedagogical strategies for application of immersive technologies in foreign language teaching and learning, using the Japanese language as an example. The authors defined and substantiated the main pedagogical strategies using immersive technologies: inquiry-based approach, project-based learning, mixed learning, flipped learning, mobile learning, game learning, joint learning, and independent learning. A study was conducted on the aspects of application of immersive technologies by 3rd year students of the Education and Research Institute of Philology of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv during their educational projects. The students’ attitude to pedagogical strategies using augmented and virtual reality was analyzed. It has been determined that it is difficult for students to apply these technologies, because they do not have enough experience of using them in language learning. Nevertheless, these tools significantly help them in the formation and development of research skills, digital competence, expand their ability to use information and communication technologies in learning Japanese. In our further research, we plan to actively implement augmented and virtual reality in the teaching of the Japanese language to students using basic pedagogical strategies, especially through the inquiry-based approach and project-based learning, combined with other applicable pedagogical strategies - such as blended learning, flipped learning, mobile learning, game-based learning, collaborative learning and self-directed learning.

APPLICATION OF THE INQUIRY BASED LEARNING APPROACH IN INFORMATICS EDUCATION WITH A POPULAR MATHEMATICAL MAGIC TRICK (A NEW LOOK AT OLD IDEAS)

“Integers and their representation” is the first section from the curriculum for 8th grade high school Informatics education in Bulgaria. The main topic in it is the study of binary numbers. The research shows that the current Bulgarian textbooks have excessive amount of mathematical problems and very few have direct practical applications. Furthermore, they do not use sufficiently the inquiry-based learning approach in the lesson and there are no introductory problems aimed in forcing cognitive dissonance. Good examples on how it can be done in constructivist way are given in the ‘80s textbooks from the experimental Research Group on Education. The article then presents a popular magic trick for teaching binary numbers by the inquiry-based learning. The author provides methodology for its more effective usage as introductory problem for the lesson. The conclusion is that Informatics lessons should use more practical problems with games, tricks and sophisms.

The Scientific Questioning and Experimental Skills of Elementary School Students: The Intervention of Research-Based Learning

Research-based learning is a learning strategy that encourages the use of scientific inquiry, thereby allowing students to develop an understanding of the scientific process. The aim of this study was to design a research-based, scientific learning activity on the topic of the mass and volume of matter, to be implemented with elementary school students. The study sample consisted of 16 fourth-grade students selected by purposive sampling. This mixed methods study, performed as an embedded design, examined the pre-experimental results of this research-based learning activity on students’ scientific questioning and experimental skills. The science process skills evaluation form was used as a quantitative instrument. The quantitative data were analyzed by simple statistics including mean and standard deviation. Meanwhile, the gathering of qualitative data was accomplished through the taking of field notes. Deductive analysis was employed to highlight the patterns that emerged regarding the students’ science process skills. The findings revealed that this research-based learning design encouraged students’ scientific questioning and experimental skills, with the mean level being at the developing level. This was achieved by giving students the opportunity to engage in challenging, age-appropriate activities with explicit scientific methodology guidance provided by their teachers. Furthermore, it was found that the students were very much satisfied with this research-based learning activity. This suggests that incorporating research-based practices would serve to fulfill the educational aims of the science classroom. The science inquiry-based approach represents an area worthy of increased focus in order to encourage elementary school students to practice science process skills.

Inquiry as a Part of Educational Reality in Technical Education

In the proposed study, the authors focus on the situation in the field of technical education in Slovak primary schools and present the results of an original research study focused on the application of an inquiry-based approach. The main goal of the investigation was to compare the efficiency of using inquiry-based activities in teaching selected topics (Electromagnetism and Electronics) with the efficiency of traditional teaching methods where students follow their teacher’s instructions. In the presented research study, carried out in four primary schools, the methods of pedagogical experiment and didactic tests examining students’ knowledge on the three levels of Niemierko’s taxonomy were used. The authors of the study present their findings regarding the impact of inquiry-based teaching on 6th grade students’ knowledge, activity, and motivation. Based on the obtained results, it can be assumed that inquiry-based teaching can lead to better knowledge acquisition, increased student activity, and a higher motivation to learn compared with applying traditional methods of teaching. The results of the t-testconfirmed the significance of differences between the experimental group’s and the control group’s performance in all three observed fields. The authors believe that the presented findings can contribute to improving the quality of the educational process not only in technical education but in other fields of didactics as well. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2022-SIED-016 Full Text: PDF

First Year Undergraduate Student Acceptability of Mantle of the Expert Teaching Module

This study looks at the Mantle of the Expert (MoE), an inquiry-based approach to teaching English to university students. It investigates how the students received the implementation and highlight prospective benefits for the teaching and learning procedures. The three pedagogical pillars that form the foundation of MoE are expert framing, drama for learning, and inquiry-based learning. This research employed the approach of university students to ascertain if technology and MoE can be combined and examine the educational framework that can raise students' interest in learning. The study included 29 students from a public institution in a state in Malaysia. A physical session and an online session were used to teach the lessons. A qualitative method was chosen using an interview and an observation. Many students had a good attitude toward the importance of using the Mantle of the Expert approach to language learning, particularly in terms of interests and technology use, according to the observational and interview data analysis. The findings of this study are anticipated to provide Malaysian instructors with a new pedagogical framework, resulting in significant changes in the experiences and attitudes of teachers and learners and in the ways that English is taught and acquired.

The Effectiveness of STEM-Supported Inquiry-Based Learning Approach on Conceptual Understanding of 7th Graders: Force and Energy Unit

This research examines the effectiveness of the STEM Supported Inquiry-Based Learning Approach on the conceptual understanding of 7th graders. In the study, a mixed-method design was adopted. The research was carried out with 64 students studying in a secondary school. The study used a Conceptual Understanding Test (CUT) and an Interview Form as data collection tools. Quantitative data obtained in the research were analyzed using ANCOVA and T-test. Qualitative data were proceeded by subjecting them to content and descriptive analysis. Examining the study results, STEM Supported Inquiry-Based Learning Approach increased students’ conceptual understanding in the experimental group and the Inquiry-Based Learning Approach in the control group. It was determined that the science teaching in the experimental group was more effective in the conceptual understanding of 7th graders. The students stated that the science teaching in the experimental group was fun, created excitement, made them feel happy, instilled cooperation and team spirit, and thought by doing and living. Depending on the results obtained from the research, it was implicated that STEM-supported education should be carried out by determining the engineering design process steps suitable for the middle school level.

Mentoring relationships through technology in the third space

This study has its genesis in the ASCILITE Community Mentoring Program (CMP), in which the authors are active participants. This program runs primarily for the benefit of ASCILITE Members and involves partnering members from across the sector in professional mentoring relationships. The CMP is a vehicle designed to enhance specific knowledge, skills and capacities among the membership, where more experienced members work with those wishing to develop-up their expertise in agreed areas (ASCILITE, 2022). Mentoring has been recognised as an important professional development medium for academics and professional staff working in higher education. These relationships are seen to provide personal growth opportunities that contribute to an individual’s career development and professional identity (re)formation (Qi, in press). Individuals who engage in mentoring are generally team-players, able to function flexibly and in an agile fashion in challenging work environments (Fenwick, 2016; Fenwick et al., 2012). These attributes bode well in building mentoring relationships and sense of belonging. During the mentorship, mentees and mentors build upon their multifaceted competences needed for collaborative, critical and creative work. They take an inquiry-based and reflective approach to build and expand connections, interactions and relational endeavours to potentially align with their personal and professional agenda. They constantly negotiate and self-position in the mentoring space to transcend disciplinary boundaries (Manoharan, 2020). Here, we are conscious of a fundamental question which alludes to mentees and mentors in how they might traverse and relate to their respective professional contexts and concurrently their learning and development opportunities within the mentoring relationships through technology. More recently, Mentors and Mentees leverage the affordances of digital technologies to enhance access to each other, resources and learning across a multitude of contexts. In response to ever-diversified academia in Australasia, mentoring has been perceived as a deep, meaningful and reciprocal learning and developmental avenue. The hybridity of learning and development has created greater opportunities for richer learning experiences and ways to belong (Press et al., 2022). This study employs ‘Third Space’ as a metaphor to reimagine and analyse the relationships and learning of mentors in the mentorship as a co-developmental opportunity. The idea of Third Space derived from cultural theory explores spatial relationships (Padro, 2022; Whitchurch, 2012) and rejects the dichotomy of relationships. It however takes into consideration the contemporary, blended, socially enabled sites for participation and collaboration (Soja, 1996) intersecting with digital technologies. In this sense, mentoring is characterised by the hybrid nature of 21st century learning and development to seed opportunities for new ways of interactions and collaborations across disciplines, to help address the challenges of the modern university (Manoharan, 2020). To help the researchers understand the lived experiences and learnings derived from mentoring, this study has adopted a phenomenological approach that explore the nexus of learning, mentoring and digital technologies. The well-established ASCILITE CMP program then provides the ideal analytical lens into the Third Space, to address the following research questions: How do Mentors experience mentoring, and what do their relationships, learning and development look like? How and in what ways does the Third Space construct position a Mentor’s approach in framing their CMP mentoring activities? To what extent do digital technologies promote a sense of belonging for learning and development in the Third Space? How might mentoring be designed for the Third Space (re)shaped by digital technologies? These questions pose complex concerns. Our empirical study is not necessarily to resolve all these challenging issues. Our point of departure is to raise awareness of mentorship through ongoing critical inquiries, reflexivity and considerations that contribute to the higher education community.

Assessing the Shift to an Inquiry-Based Approach in 2nd Year Chemical Engineering Labs on Observed Student Engagement and Self-Reported Understanding

An overemphasis on following detailed procedures in second-year lab courses has indicated student passivity and disengagement from the purpose and meaning of laboratory experiments. To abate this, adjustments were made to course structure and deliverables to introduce an inquiry-based approach that required students to develop their own lab procedures based on stated objectives and an overview of the experimental equipment. Surveys were conducted and student feedback indicated that the majority students found the new approach to have increased their understanding of their experiments.

Inquiry-Based Laboratories for Students to Investigate the Concepts of Acid–Base Titration, pKa, Equivalence Points, and Molar Absorption Coefficients

This research developed learning activities for students to explore and connect the concepts of acid–base titration, equivalence points, pKa, and molar absorption coefficients. Polyphenolic compounds consisting of p-coumaric acid (CMA), caffeic acid (CFA), and 3,4,5-trihydroxycinnamic acid (3,4,5-THCA) were selected as study models. The inquiry-based learning activities consisted of four phases, including in-classroom, prelaboratory discussion, in-laboratory work, and postlaboratory discussion. This research was conducted through a single group pretest–posttest design, and the learning activities were implemented with biochemistry undergraduate students. Data were collected using conceptual pretest and posttest, questionnaires, and laboratory reports. The paired-sample t test results showed that the mean posttest score (51.29 ± 10.46) was significantly higher than the mean pretest score (19.00 ± 5.90). The results implied that students had a better understanding of the concepts and the links between the concepts of acid–base titration, pKa, equivalence points, and molar absorption coefficients. These findings were supported by information from questionnaires and laboratory reports. The results showed that the students had moderately positive attitudes toward laboratory activities, the instructor, and the content. Overall, the results indicated that the laboratory activities embedded with the inquiry-based approach were effective, as they enhanced the students’ understanding of concepts and promoted students’ positive attitudes toward laboratory activities.

An approach to epistemic emotions in physics’ teaching-learning. The case of pre-service teachers

It is well established that emotions play a key role in the teaching-learning process and cognitive and affective factors should receive especial consideration. This fact becomes even more important when dealing with pre-service teachers, since their emotions towards science will be projected into their future practice as early-childhood teachers. It has been also stated the influence of the instructional approach in which the teaching-learning process is based on the emotions of students towards science. In this line, the current study aims to monitor and interpret the emotions of pre-service teachers when addressing physics content learning, namely forces, from two different instructional approaches with increasing experimentality degree and implication of students. The considered instructional approaches consisted on a theoretical problem solving one and a practical one designed in the form of inquiry-based hands-on activities. A sample size of 118 students was considered and a questionnaire was employed for in situ emotions monitorization. A decrease from 30% to 12% in negative emotions and an increase from 85% to 91% in positive emotions was detected when considering the transition from instructional approach 1 (classroom approach) to instructional approach 2 (inquiry-based hands-on approach). The whole dataset was analyzed by means of principal component analysis (PCA). PCA reveals the importance of emotions’ valence, but also their activating/deactivating character. An approach to epistemic emotions is achieved from this perspective. It has been demonstrated that the implementation of inquiry-based hand-on activities results in increased occurrence of security and trust among the students, in comparison with occurring emotions after receiving more theoretical interventions.

Enhancing Primary School Students’ Critical Thinking Skills through the Integration of Inquiry-Based STEM Approach on Teaching Electricity in Science Learning

This paper aimed to enhance primary school students’ critical thinking by implementing an interdisciplinary STEM approach using the inquiry method in science learning of energy and its changing topic. This innovative learning is designed to engage students in constructivism through project-making. This study involved twenty-five-six-grade primary school students at a public primary school in Java Province, Indonesia. The qualitative method was employed to explore and understand students’ experiences during learning in developing five aspects of critical thinking skills SCIT, including identifying questions at issues, conceptual understanding, ideas connection, assumptions, and inferences. The researchers collected the data through classroom observation, reflective journals, interviews, and a concept test. In this study, students are engaged in five learning stages: ask, investigate, create, discuss, and reflect. The findings obtained by the researchers reflected that students were actively involved in all phases of learning. They feel they are challenged to learn through a simple electrical circuit and a simple flood detector project. The analysis showed that students were experiencing the enhancement of critical thinking skills through information exploration and project discussion to engage them in identifying questions at issues raised in the learning. Besides, facilitating students to integrate their thought into real-life and project-making leads them to improve their conceptual understanding. In addition, interdisciplinary learning encouraged them to connect ideas and make assumptions and inferences by considering multiple perspectives on developing a project.

A scoping review of the effects of a technology-integrated, inquiry-based approach on primary pupils’ learning in science

ABSTRACT Background Since the turn of the 21st century, research on an inquiry-based approach in science education has increasingly been geared towards the integration of technology, primarily focused on secondary and tertiary education. Thus far, no study has reviewed research on a technology-integrated, inquiry-based approach in the specific context of primary science education. Purpose & Method This scoping review has two primary aims: to investigate the characteristics of the technological interventions used in previous research that employed an inquiry-based approach in science education and to examine the effects of this integrated approach on primary pupils’ learning in science. Fifteen articles from science education journals based on Scimago Journal Rank in the first quartile of 2020 and the Scopus database of the years 2017 to 2021 were extracted and reviewed using narrative and thematic analysis. Findings The review navigates research that has focused on the development of inquiry-based technological tools, the assimilation of the tools with scientific knowledge, and the type of technological intervention used. The technological tools employed were either self-developed or already available on the market. They took one of two forms: a learning management system or a games/simulation. Furthermore, most of the research integrated science contents into their technological tools. In terms of the effects of the technology-integrated, inquiry-based approach, most of the studies demonstrated positive impacts on primary pupils’ learning in science, including pupils’ improved conceptual understanding, scientific and thinking skills, views towards science, levels of motivation and interest, and collaborative skills. Conclusions Based on this review, it is suggested that science teachers should integrate technology into an inquiry-based approach, as research has shown that this approach positively impacts pupils’ learning in science. Future empirical studies should also be carried out to examine the processes needed to integrate technology into an inquiry-based approach, rather than focusing on the effects alone.

A Comprehensive Approach to Teaching Academic Writing: The Content and Corpus Integrated Inquiry-based Approach

This article discusses the definitions and applications of content-based approaches, inquiry-based approaches, and corpus-based approaches respectively. Based on the analysis of these approaches’ strengths and weaknesses, a comprehensive approach, namely the content and corpus integrated inquiry-based approach, is proposed to complement their drawbacks, which has practical significance for teaching academic writing.