Inquiry-based Learning Course Research Articles

Learning through perplexities in inquiry-based learning settings in teacher education

ABSTRACT The concept of inquiry-based learning has become widespread in teacher education in Europe and beyond. Inquiry-based learning courses aim to raise the research competence of (preservice) teachers and to increase their ability for reflection, uncertainties occur that have to be learned to cope with. Uncertainties can be disorienting and may cause perplexities, doubts and crises. However, they can be the starting point for learning processes. This paper addresses whether preservice teachers experience such uncertainties in research courses and how they discuss them. To obtain data, 10 group discussions were carried out with 35 preservice teachers enrolled in research courses at a German university. The discussions were analysed using the documentary method. Preservice teachers experience a range of perplexities as expression of underlying uncertainties within and through the research process (concerning data collection and data analysis) and the course design. Results also show two different ways of dealing with such perplexities: While in some group discussions the preservice teachers accept the perplexities as challenges and starting points for learning, others distance from them. The paper discusses how the experienced perplexities and uncertainties focus on central aspects and tensions of teaching. Implications for teacher education at university level are presented.

A Text Analysis of Four Levels of Librarian Involvement and Impact on Students in an Inquiry-Based Learning Course

Librarians at the University of Calgary collaborated with instructors on an inquiry-based learning course with varying involvement across four course sections. This study uses text analysis of student assignments to assess information literacy (IL) skill development across four levels of course participation: librarian as instructor-of-record, two levels of embeddedness, and a single ‘one-shot’ session. The methodology included the tracking of keywords generated using the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy and text analysis of student reflection assignments in an inquiry-based, research-focused first-year undergraduate course. The results suggest that the benefit to student IL skills is not related to amount of librarian instruction, but rather to the level of instructor buy-in with regard to library services and the importance of IL skills. We argue that the most impactful librarian involvement is as an IL course consultant rather than a full-time embedded librarian (which is surprising given the literature on the efficacy of embeddedness). Although further research is needed, the study results have significant implications for academic librarian instructional practices and collaborations on course content with faculty members.

The effects of web-based inquiry learning mode with the support of collaborative digital reading annotation system on information literacy instruction

Past studies have indicated that primary schools' students have difficulty in filtering out incorrect or unreliable information from the Internet when facing a large amount of information due to the lack of basic digital literacy and sensitivity. Therefore, the establishment of a mechanism for information judgment and evaluation to promote primary schools' students digital reading skills and information literacy has become a more and more important research issue in recent years. This study thus developed a web-based inquiry learning mode with collaborative digital reading annotation system support (WILM-CDRASS) aiming to provide innovative teaching mode of effectively enhancing information evaluation abilities of primary schools' students. A quasi-experimental design was conducted in this study to examine the learning effectiveness and technology acceptance of using WILM-CDRASS to enhance information evaluation abilities of primary schools' students compared to a web-based inquiry learning mode with general discussion board support (WILM-GDBS). A total of 50 Grade 5 students from two classes of an elementary school in New Taipei City of Taiwan participated in a collaborative inquiry-based learning course, “Internet information judgment and evaluation,” in this study. A total of 25 students from a class was assigned as the experimental group using WILM-CDRASS to enhance their information evaluation abilities, and a total of 25 students from the remaining class was assigned as the control group using WILM-GDBS. The learning outcomes of WILM-CDRASS and WILM-GDBS in the learning effectiveness and technology acceptance were also compared between students with different prior knowledge levels and cognitive styles from both groups. The analytical results revealed that the learning effectiveness and technology acceptance of learners in the experimental group using WILM-CDRASS for an information literacy course are significantly superior to those of learners in the control group using WILM-GDBS. The research findings also showed that the use of WILM-CDRASS was more beneficial to the students with low prior knowledge and field-independent cognitive style than those of using WILM-GDBS. As for technology acceptance, students with low prior knowledge perceived the use of WILM-CDRASS more helpful than WILM-GDBS for their learning. Based on the research results, several suggestions for the implementation of WILM-CDRASS to support information literacy courses were proposed. Besides, it is suggested to investigate students' effective learning behaviors and the relationship between the learning behaviors and learning performance in inquiry-based information literacy courses with WILM-CDRASS support in future study.

How to Promote University Students to Innovative Use Renewable Energy? An Inquiry-Based Learning Course Model

This paper aims to explore a student-oriented curriculum model on Renewable Energy Sources (RES), since RES is an important solution to the energy problem, and training talents with relevant skills and qualities has become a key part of our overall energy strategy. Based on Taylor Principle and PDCA Cycle Theory (Plan, Do, Check, Act), this paper proposed a “Student-centered Inquiry” RES course model together with three reference templates for the design, teaching, and evaluation processes of the course. This dissertation conducted a case study on 27 students from China University of Petroleum (East China), and the primary purpose of the study was to find out how changes in the curriculum could affect the learning effects of both high achievement students and low achievement students. By adopting the paired T-test and independent T-test, the results indicated that: (a) There was a relationship between the new curriculum model and the students’ academic performance, (b) the improvement in low-achievement students was more significant than in high-achievement students, and (c) the new curriculum model has positive effects on students in terms of knowledge transfer, methodology, reductionism, and consciousness formation. In view of the limitations of current RES related education in universities, these results can be used as templates to improve the quality of RES education.

Teaching Tip: An Inquiry-Based Learning Undergraduate Laboratory Course During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Inquiry based learning (IBL) has gained popularity as a tool for teaching science courses such as chemistry, biology, physics and engineering.  This accelerating popularity is driven by technological advancements that allow IBL to be supported in the modern classroom1.  The purpose of IBL is to trigger the student’s curiosity and encourage them to ask questions.  The student’s role has become more active with technological advancements and access to multiple sources of information2.  In light of this, the chemical and biomolecular engineering department at Rice University has adopted IBL in the undergraduate teaching laboratory courses.  We implemented a flipped classroom model where students watched a 15-minute video then took a short quiz on safety and theory before they attended the first laboratory session.  The IBL model focuses on the student to drive the question inquiry process, by engaging and motivating them to evaluate new information pertaining to that knowledge. The laboratory experiment objectives were non-prescriptive allowing the students to develop their own methods for conducting the experiments. During the spring of 2020, we had all of the IBL course structure in place, and it aided significantly in our shift to “virtual classrooms” after Rice University closed its campus in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.  By re-designing the undergraduate lab course using IBL principles, we fortuitously gave ourselves built-in flexibility to go to emergency virtual format in Spring 2020, and virtual format in Fall 2020.  This also allows us to go hybrid or full in-person in the future.  We provided students with laboratory data so that they could continue the analysis at home.  However, students were not able to conduct appropriate experimentation, which is one of the key learning objectives for the laboratory courses.

Academic librarian collaborations in inquiry based learning: A case study, reflections and strategies


 
 
 Five academic librarians at the University of Calgary were invited to collaborate on an inquiry-based learning course. Each librarian represented different liaison responsibilities and expertise and was paired with a course section of primarily first-year students, an instructor, and a teaching assistant. The range of experiences among the librarians provided insights into issues of library partnerships, embedded librarianship, and information literacy instruction. Benefits of the collaboration included opportunities for instruction, positive student perceptions, skill building, and teaching innovations, while areas for further development included sustainability and role definition. Proposed areas of future growth include quantitative exploration of librarian involvement in inquiry- based learning. 
 
 

THE EFFECTS OF THE TRIP MODEL ON STUDENTS' SCIENCE READING ABILITY AND MARINE CONSERVATION LEARNING INTEREST

This research sought to improve students' science reading comprehension ability and marine ecological conservation learning interest through the implementation of an inquiry-based learning course. A Triggered situational interest-Reading-Inquiry-Presentation (TRIP) model was proposed to guide the course design. The quasi-experimental design was adopted in this research. Experimental teaching activities were conducted with two classes of second graders (50 students in total) in southern Taiwan. One class served as the experimental group, and the other served as the comparison group. The Science Reading Comprehension Test (SRCT) and Marine Ecology Conservation Learning Interest Scale (MECLIS) were used as instruments. Data were analyzed using the Johnson-Neyman Technique, analysis of covariance, and qualitative analysis. The results showed that the students with lower pre-test scores on the SRCT in the experimental group had better scores on the post-test than those in the comparison group, while the students in both groups with higher pre-test scores on the SRCT had no difference in their post-test scores. Furthermore, the experimental group students had better MECLIS scores than the comparison group students, and the difference had a moderate effect size. Overall, this research suggests that the TRIP model may assist science teachers in designing science reading courses. Keywords: inquiry-based learning, learning interest, reading comprehension, reading literacy.

Developing creative and research skills through an open and interprofessional inquiry-based learning course

BackgroundBiomedicine needs innovative professionals. Inquiry-based learning (IBL) aims to develop higher order thinking skills, such as creativity and research. Stimulatory techniques and interprofessional education, which requires students from different fields to collaborate, also enhances creativity. In this study, the effectiveness of an interprofessional IBL course that introduces a creativity workshop based on stimulatory techniques to develop creative and research skills is examined.Methods529 undergraduate human biology and medical students performed the interprofessional IBL course, 198 with the creativity workshop and 331 without. Students’ perceptions of learning processes and outcomes were assessed in surveys and focus groups by the authors of this study. As well, the final learning results from both groups of students were analyzed by the teachers of the course and the researchers.ResultsThe results show that the open IBL approach promoted the development of these skills, interprofessionality acted as a creativity enhancer and stimulatory techniques contributed to improve the learning outcomes.ConclusionsThis study provides insight into how open interprofessional IBL fosters acquisition of complex skills and knowledge, pointing out the benefits and limitations of this approach in health sciences studies.

Ordinary Least Squares and Quantile Regression: An Inquiry-Based Learning Approach to a Comparison of Regression Methods

We present a short, inquiry-based learning course on concepts and methods underlying ordinary least squares (OLS), least absolute deviation (LAD), and quantile regression (QR). Students investigate squared, absolute, and weighted absolute distance functions (metrics) as location measures. Using differential calculus and properties of convex functions, students discover the sample mean, median, and pth quantile by minimizing sums of distances. Students use these metrics to define loss functions for OLS, LAD, and QR, and explore methods to minimize them. We discuss classroom experiences over two semesters. Classroom activities, Maple worksheets, and R demonstration code are available at a companion website.

Assessing Student Openness to Inquiry-Based Learning in Precalculus

The authors have completed a 2-year quasi-experimental study on the use of inquiry-based learning (IBL) in precalculus. This study included six traditional lecture-style courses and seven modified Moore method courses taught by three instructors. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were used to investigate the attitudes and beliefs of the students in each section. In this article, we provide a summary of those results with a particular focus on the Openness to IBL survey we developed for assessing student preferences for either student-centered or teacher-centered instruction. Although the majority of the students exhibited a strong preference for direct instruction, students whose scores favored student-centered approaches according to the survey also tended to perform better on the final exam, indicating that a key element to success in an IBL course may be students’ perceptions of the method.

Implementation and outcomes of inquiry-based learning in mathematics content courses for pre-service teachers

This mixed-methods study describes classroom characteristics and student outcomes from university mathematics courses that are based in mathematics departments, targeted to future pre-tertiary teachers, and taught with inquiry-based learning (IBL) approaches. The study focused on three two-term sequences taught at two research universities, separately targeting elementary and secondary pre-service teachers. Classroom observation established that the courses were taught with student-centred methods that were comparable to those used in IBL courses for students in mathematics-intensive fields at the same institutions. To measure pre-service teachers' gains in mathematical knowledge for teaching, we administered the Learning Mathematics for Teaching (LMT) instrument developed by Hill, Ball and Schilling for in-service teacher professional development. Results from the LMT show that pre-service teachers made significant score gains from beginning to end of their course, while data from interviews and from surveys of learning gains show that pre-service teachers viewed their gains as relevant to their future teaching work. Measured changes on pre-/post-surveys of attitudes and beliefs were generally supportive of learning mathematics but modest in magnitude. The study is distinctive in applying the LMT to document pre-service teachers' growth in mathematical knowledge for teaching. The study also suggests IBL is an approach well suited to mathematics departments seeking to strengthen their pre-service teacher preparation offerings in ways consistent with research-based recommendations.

Evaluating student perceptions of learning processes and intended learning outcomes under inquiry approaches

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is promoted as a teaching approach that can enhance student learning outcomes. IBL can be categorised according to scale (e.g. tasks, course/module/paper, degree), mode (structured, guided, open) and framing (information or discovery-oriented). Our research used a survey instrument to determine how student perceptions of learning processes and intended learning outcomes (ILOs) varied in response to courses with different modes and framing of IBL. The survey was completed by 940 students in 15 IBL courses across a range of disciplines and levels. All types of IBL courses were well rated by students for encouraging learning processes and ILOs congruent with a well-designed inquiry experience. Regarding modes of IBL, there was a clear hierarchy from open (most highly rated) to guided and then structured inquiry. For the framing of IBL, courses using discovery-oriented IBL were more highly rated than information-oriented IBL. Overall, the most highly rated course design was open, discovery-oriented IBL, but other types of IBL remained important in terms of developing research and inquiry skills. To determine whether all types of IBL courses are promoting enhanced ILOs compared to more traditionally taught courses, a comparative study should be undertaken.

Mobile Learning and Biodiversity–Bridging the Gap between Outdoor and Inquiry Learning in Pre-Service Science Teacher education

Abstract This study presents first findings about the development of an inquiry-based approach in pre-service teacher training. After reports of students who felt ill equipped to teach adequately about biodiversity, an inquiry-based learning course about biodiversity was created, using new technologies and an autonomous and collaborative learning environment. Compared to the traditional university course, research showed advantages in motivational and cognitive areas within the students tested.