Inquiry-based Science Classrooms Research Articles

Co-constructing novel science stories or reciting epic narratives?

Although research findings have emphasized the importance of students being engaged in dialogue and co-construction of science knowledge, implementing the teaching required to promote such engagement is challenging for teachers. Co-construction is crucial not only for students' understanding of science content but also for their familiarity with some of the attributes associated with the nature of science (NOS). Inquiry-based science classroom discourses could facilitate NOS familiarization processes by promoting creativity and collaboration in upper primary school. This article presents findings from a case study of how one teacher created and navigated opportunities for students’ co-construction of science stories in a grade 6 class (age 12) working on the topic “Substances around us”. To examine the classroom dialogue and the teacher’s enablement of students’ co-construction in class, observation data were gathered over seven weeks and analysed using principles indicative of classroom dialogue. Findings show that while opportunities for co-construction were created in science class through for example open-ended questions, the teacher’s use of IRE, complemented with boosted communication for evaluation of student answers, often hampered dialogue and co-construction of novel science stories regardless of how the teaching was organized.

Inquiry-based science teaching in English Medium Instruction science secondary classrooms: Teachers’ understanding and perceptions

This mixed-method study, employing inquiry-based science teaching theory, delves into the interaction of English Medium Instruction (EMI) and scientific inquiry by investigating science teachers’ understanding and perceptions of conducting inquiry-based science activities in EMI classrooms. Drawing on a questionnaire of 166 EMI science teachers and in-depth individual interviews with five of them, the findings suggest that these EMI science teachers encountered similar challenges to other science teachers teaching science in their first languages through an inquiry-based approach. They were found to hold a ­scientific ­method-oriented understanding of inquiry-based science teaching and a conflict between Chinese learning culture and ­inquiry-based science learning culture. Furthermore, the findings indicate that EMI science teachers faced additional challenges in inquiry-based science classrooms in the EMI context, including (a) the tension between passive English learning and the mutual learning of scientific inquiry and English, and (b) the contradictory stance between ­inquiry-based science teaching and EMI policy. This study has implications for policymakers in terms of the teaching and provision of ­inquiry-based science in the EMI classroom.

Translanguaging in scientific practices: a study of high school teachers in English Medium Instruction inquiry-based science classrooms

ABSTRACT English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) is being used to teach academic subjects in international programmes in China to meet the growing number of Chinese students’ need to study abroad. Through the lens of inquiry-based science teaching, this study examined how the four EMI science teachers of an international programme at a private high school employed translanguaging in scientific practices such as identifying variables and formulating hypotheses. Based on the data collected from a case study, the analyses demonstrate how these science teachers used multilingual and multimodal resources to facilitate students’ engagement in scientific inquiry activities and to promote the construction of scientific knowledge. A total of seven types of translanguaging practices were identified, including opening the inquiry, negotiating directions, teacher encouragement, managing discipline, fun learning environment, definitions, and explanations. The findings imply that pedagogical translanguaging can create a space for the construction of scientific knowledge, as well as a space for the implementation of scientific practices in an inquiry-based EMI classroom environment.

Exploring the problems of learning science in the English medium: a study on high school students’ perceptions and attitudes in China

ABSTRACT English is being used as a medium of instruction (EMI) for delivering science lessons in China. This study investigated Chinese high school international programme students’ perceptions of and attitudes towards EMI, particularly about their perceived difficulties and support in learning. A questionnaire with Likert-type items, student group interviews, and individual teacher interviews were used in the study. Quantitative data were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis and descriptive analysis, while qualitative data were analysed by means of thematic analysis. The findings indicated a mismatch between the difficulties students encountered and the support teachers provided and revealed the problem of passive strategies for teaching science in English. Findings also suggested strategies for supporting students to learn science in the English medium, especially in inquiry-based science classrooms. These findings have important implications for integrating science and English learning.

Conversation Analytic Examination of Inquiry-Based Science Classrooms

Recent policy and reform documents have promoted inquiry-based learning, which is seen as an effective way of teaching science. However, there are few studies evaluating the teacher-student interactional structure of inquiry-based science (IBS) classes. Although the class is a social plane, where learners are in the process of social interaction as a co-construction process, this lack of research limits our understanding of the nature of interaction in IBS classes. The lack of understanding of this interactive structure causes teachers to provide the desired answers to the theoretical questions that are asked outside the classroom, but the results in the classroom are not at the desired level. On this basis, this study examines IBS classroom interaction by the micro-analytic conversation analysis (CA) method to reveal the interactional phenomena within the classroom. The study was conducted with two science teachers and their 56 fifth-grade students. A database of 12 hours of IBS interactions was examined line-by-line and turn-by-turn using CA. Findings show that there are interactionally different phases in the practice of IBS classes and that teacher-student interactions also change according to context. These stages were named (1) initiating the inquiry, (2) focusing on the investigation, and (3) sharing understanding. Within these different phases of a science lesson, the pedagogical aims of the teachers and the interactive tools are found to differ. This has important implications for the study of the subjects and the class, which are dealt with in depth in terms of science education under a different conceptual framework. In addition, this study presents a contribution to CA research in terms of examining the interactional characteristics of science classes.

Students With Learning Disabilities in Inquiry-Based Science Classrooms: A Cross-Case Analysis

Students with learning disabilities (LD) often receive instruction in general education science classrooms. However, little is known about the academic success of students with LD in this setting. As inquiry-based science instruction has become more prominent, research focusing on student learning is needed to explore how such instruction meets students’ needs. To address this, a cross-case analysis was conducted. It included six middle school students, each with LD, from a Midwestern city. Each student was enrolled in a general education science class that used inquiry-based instruction. Data sources included student and educator interviews, classroom observations, and student portfolios. Results indicated that most of the students with LD had difficulty acquiring science process knowledge and that students relied on peer supports to facilitate their learning. Findings extend the research on science instruction for students with LD in middle school classrooms using inquiry-based instruction.

Promoting Inclusive Practices in Inquiry-Based Science Classrooms

Promoting Inclusive Practices in Inquiry-Based Science Classrooms

Language and literacy in inquiry‐based science classrooms, grades 3–8

Science EducationVolume 96, Issue 4 p. 760-762 The Books Language and literacy in inquiry-based science classrooms, grades 3–8 Christine D. Tippett, Christine D. Tippett University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3N4, CanadaSearch for more papers by this authorLarry D. Yore, Larry D. Yore University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3N4, CanadaSearch for more papers by this author Christine D. Tippett, Christine D. Tippett University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3N4, CanadaSearch for more papers by this authorLarry D. Yore, Larry D. Yore University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3N4, CanadaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 06 March 2012 https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21011Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume96, Issue4July 2012Pages 760-762 RelatedInformation

What Kindergarten Students Learn in Inquiry-Based Science Classrooms

The purpose of this study was to examine how participation in an inquiry-based science program impacts kindergarten students’ science learning and motivation. The study was implemented as part of a larger, federally funded research project, the Scientific Literacy Project or SLP (Mantzicopoulos, Patrick, & Samarapungavan, 2005). The study provides descriptive data on the science learning and motivation of public kindergarten students who participated in a year-long implementation of a series of inquiry-based science units as part of SLP. The students who learned science through guided-inquiry (the INQ group) completed six inquiry-based science units over the course of the school year. Data were also collected from a group of kindergarten students (the COMP group) who received regular science instruction on a similar set of topics to the INQ group but did not use the inquiry-based SLP approach to science. Data from this latter group helped us better understand the extent to which the patterns of conceptual development observed in the children who learned science through inquiry could be attributed to the features of the research-based SLP curriculum rather than other factors like maturation or the mere exposure to any science instruction. There were 186 students who participated in the study (118 INQ and 68 COMP students). A variety of measures, including researcher-developed measures of learning and motivation as well as standardized measures of achievement, were administered to both groups. Statistical analyses of pre and posttest performance showed that INQ students made significant gains across all measures of science learning from the beginning to the end of the school year. They developed an enhanced functional understanding of scientific inquiry.

Documenting the language demands of mainstream content-area assessment for English learners: participant structures, communicative modes and genre in science performance assessments

We report on the development and use of an analytical framework designed to articulate the language demands English learners (ELs) encounter on performance assessments such as those used in inquiry-based science classrooms. The Science Assessment Language Demands (SALD) Framework, grounded in functional and interactional views of language and language use, focuses on participant structures utilized in performance assessments, associated modes of communication called for and written texts and genres that students are required to read and produce. We employed the SALD Framework to document the range of language demands present in the performance assessments that accompany three fifth-grade science units. The assessments collectively call upon students to engage in four participant structures (whole class, small group, pair and individual), three communicative modes (interpersonal, interpretive and presentational) and a broad array of genres. These demands may present barriers with regard to ELs' ability to demonstrate their scientific knowledge and skills. On the other hand, the language involved in performance assessments may also present opportunities, both for expanding the options ELs have for demonstrating their understanding and by promoting the development of a wider repertoire of language skills than might be fostered in classrooms preparing students for more traditional assessments.

Developing Elementary Teachers’ Understandings of Hedges and Personal Pronouns in Inquiry-Based Science Classroom Discourse

This study examined the effectiveness of introducing elementary teachers to the scholarly literature on personal pronouns and hedges in classroom discourse, a professional development strategy adopted during a summer institute to enhance teachers’ social understanding (i.e., their understanding of the social functions of language in science discussions). Teachers became aware of how hedges can be employed to remain neutral toward students’ oral contributions to classroom discussions, invite students to share their opinions and articulate their own ideas, and motivate students to inquire. Teachers recognized that the combined use of I and you can render their feedback authoritative, you can shift the focus from the investigation to students’ competence, and we can lead to authority loss. It is argued that explicitness, reflectivity, and contextualization are essential features of professional development programs aimed at improving teachers’ understandings of the social dimension of inquiry-based science classrooms and preparing teachers to engage in inquiry-based teacher–student interactions.

Improving teacher questioning in science inquiry discussions through professional development

AbstractThis study explores questioning practices adopted by elementary teachers while facilitating science inquiry discussions prior and subsequent to their participation in a summer institute in which they were provided with scholarly descriptions of inquiry‐based teacher questioning (i.e., typologies of questions used by discourse analysts to categorize and understand teacher questioning) and conducted video‐based discourse analysis. Teachers' questioning is examined in light of their social understandings (i.e., how teachers understand social aspects of oral questioning in inquiry‐based science classrooms). The reported findings show that, as a result of developing an increased awareness of social aspects of teacher questioning during the institute, teachers' referential questions (oral queries aimed at encouraging students to articulate their own ideas, understandings, experiences and personal opinions) were twice as frequent after the institute as they were before, hence suggesting an increased degree of student‐centeredness. Furthermore, their student‐centered questions prompted longer and more articulated student responses, promoted higher‐level student thinking, positioned students as complementary experts, prompted students to provide tentative responses, and encouraged students to conduct authentic investigations. Based on these findings, it is argued that educators who set out to prepare teachers to become effective questioners in the context of science inquiry discussions ought to go beyond cognitive issues and the simple provision of static and ill‐defined labels such as “guide” and “active inquirer.” © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47: 422–453, 2010

“Kindergarten, can I have your eyes and ears?” politeness and teacher directive choices in inquiry-based science classrooms

This study explores elementary teachers’ social understandings and employment of directives and politeness while facilitating inquiry science lessons prior and subsequent to their participation in a summer institute in which they were introduced to the scholarly literature on regulative discourse (directives used by teachers to regulate student behavior). A grounded theory analysis of the institute professional development activities revealed that teachers developed an increased awareness of the authoritative functions served by impolite or direct directives (i.e., pragmatic awareness). Furthermore, a comparative microethnographic analysis of participants’ inquiry-based classroom practices revealed that after the institute teachers demonstrated an increased ability to share authority with students by strategically making directive choices that were more polite, indirect, inclusive, involvement-focused and creative. Such ability led to a reduced emphasis on teacher regulation of student compliance with classroom behavioral norms and an increased focus on the discursive organization of the inquiry-based science learning/teaching process. Despite teachers’ increased pragmatic awareness, teacher–student linguistic relationships did not become entirely symmetrical subsequent to their participation in the summer institute (i.e., teacher authority was not completely relinquished or lost). Based on such findings, it is argued that teachers need to develop higher levels of pragmatic awareness to become effectively prepared to engage in language-mediated teacher–student interaction in the context of inquiry-based science classroom discourse.

Relationships among informal learning environments, teaching procedures and scientific reasoning ability

Informal learning experiences have risen to the forefront of science education as being beneficial to students' learning. However, it is not clear in what ways such experiences may be beneficial to students; nor how informal learning experiences may interface with classroom science instruction. This study aims to acquire a better understanding of these issues by investigating one aspect of science learning, scientific reasoning ability, with respect to the students' informal learning experiences and classroom science instruction. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to investigate possible differences in students' scientific reasoning abilities relative to their informal learning environments (impoverished, enriched), classroom teaching experiences (non-inquiry, inquiry) and the interaction of these variables. The results of two-way ANOVAs indicated that informal learning environments and classroom science teaching procedures showed significant main effects on students' scientific reasoning abilities. Students with enriched informal learning environments had significantly higher scientific reasoning abilities compared to those with impoverished informal learning environments. Likewise, students in inquirybased science classrooms showed higher scientific reasoning abilities compared to those in non-inquiry science classrooms. There were no significant interaction effects. These results indicate the need for increased emphases on both informal learning opportunities and inquiry-based instruction in science.