Open Inquiry Research Articles

Students' meaning-making in an open inquiry: two paths

AbstractIn science education, students need to work with laboratory elements that create conditions for them to learn to do science and experience the value of making meaning in this process. However, students rarely get to carry out investigations that resemble actual scientific practices. More often, they are encouraged to follow an already given knowledge structure, rather than allowed to shape it by themselves. In this study, we investigate how students' meaning-making processes develop when they work with an open inquiry with three degrees of freedom aimed at really doing science. Meaning-making in doing science involves both the typical science-content dimension and a sometimes more overlooked aesthetic dimension. Thus, to gain insight into the students' meaning-making in this, we rendered a thick description of the students' experience, including an analysis of the aesthetic dimension. We compared the processes of two student groups in year 9 and how, within their groups, they collectively made meaning of an open inquiry. The results showed how the processes took quite different turns, moving through peaks and troughs in each group. The first group began with resignation and ended up with a strong commitment towards the openness of the task. For the other group, the journey was quite the opposite. They began engaged, with a lot of ideas about a phenomenon that turned out to be impossible to create. This study shows that in this open process, the materials available and the teacher’s guidance are crucial for supporting the students’ meaning-making. This study therefore becomes an important contribution to a discussion about what is needed to help students make meaning in doing.

Profile of Scaffolding Transfer in STEM-Based Open Inquiry Learning for Electromagnetics Practicum

In the context of STEM-based open inquiry learning, scaffolding transfer involves providing assistance that enables students to explore, experiment, and investigate problems or questions independently. The purpose of this study was to determine the profile of scaffolding transfer in STEM-based open inquiry learning during an electromagnetics practicum. This research used a qualitative method with a participatory observation design. The research subjects were 34 students who participated in the electromagnetics practicum. The research instruments consisted of observation guides and field notes. Data were collected through direct observation during the practicum and the analysis of related documents. Data analysis was conducted through coding to identify scaffolding patterns and their transfer. The results showed that there are variations in the percentage of scaffolding provided in STEM-based open inquiry learning on different topics. This variation reflects the dynamics of changing student needs along with the complexity of the material. These results also show that scaffolding is dynamic because the level of support can increase again when students encounter new concepts or difficult concepts. In addition, the highest scaffolding in the open inquiry process occurs at the “asking questions” stage, which indicates a great need for help at the beginning of learning. In contrast, no scaffolding was provided at the stage of “communicating the results of the investigation,” which reflects students' independence.

What Is So Great about Inpatient Rehabilitation from the Patient Experience Perspective: Qualitative Content Analysis of an Appreciative Inquiry during a Bedside Experience Rounding.

Positive person-centered attributes of inpatient rehabilitation need to be identified from the patient's perspective to be further developed and sustained. To identify which attributes patients openly evoke as being great care experiences, using an open appreciative inquiry during the inpatient rehabilitation stay. Qualitative secondary analysis of appreciative patient comments during a bedside patient experience rounding facilitated by a neutral party was performed. Two independent analysts employed an inductive, summative form of content analysis. Among 150 patients rounded, 122 provided categorizable appreciative accounts. Over two-thirds of the patients (67.2%) focused on "staff attributes" in their great-experience accounts. Those attributes were mostly interpersonal such as being "attentive & caring-beyond clinical duty" and being "encouraging (but not too hard) & reassuring". These interpersonal staff attributes were reported with words showing deep levels of personal significance or patient appreciation. Beyond staff attributes, the perceived quality of "patient care" (31.1%) and opportunities for "leisure and social activities" (9.0%) were also frequently evoked. Amenities like food or customer service were the least evoked, rarely so as an exclusive attribute (0.8% for each). The human(e) factor, especially the interpersonal qualities of staff, emerged as greatly appreciated from the patient experience perspective during inpatient rehabilitation. These experiences help identify which person-centered attributes of care might be further developed and sustained.

Learning designs that empower: navigating sandbox data science at the intersection of computing, big data and social media

PurposeThere is a need for precollege learning designs that empower youth to be epistemic agents in contexts that intersect burgeoning areas of computing, big data and social media. The purpose of this study is to explore how “sandbox” or open-inquiry data science with social media supports learning.Design/methodology/approachThis paper offers vignettes from an illustrative youth study case that highlights the pedagogical prospects and obstacles tied to designing for open-ended inquiry with computational data science to access or “scrape” Twitter/X. The youth case showcases how social media can be taken up productively and in ways that facilitate epistemological agency, an approach where individuals actively shape understanding and knowledge-creation processes, highlighting the potentially transformative impact this approach might have in empowering learners to engage productively.FindingsThe authors identify three key affordances for learning that emerged from the illustrative case: (1) flexible opportunities for content-specific domain mastery, (2) situated inquiry that embodies next-generation science practices and (3) embedded computational skill development. The authors discuss these findings in relation to contemporary education needs to broaden participation in data science and computing.Originality/valueTo address challenges in current data science education associated with supporting sustained and productive engagement in computing-based data science, the authors leverage a “sandbox” approach – an original pedagogical framework to support open inquiry with precollege groups. The authors demonstrate how “big data” drawn from social media with high school-aged youth supports learning designs and outcomes by emphasizing learner interests and authentic practice.

EMBRACING DISAPPOINTMENT AS PSYCHOANALYTIC PRAXIS.

Psychoanalysis involves studying how people maintain not knowing what they "know." As a result, how psychoanalytic psychotherapists orient toward what their patients may be experiencing but cannot say is at the core of psychoanalytic praxis. Jeremy Safran's unique psychoanalytic sensibilities were a model for how toyield to feeling states and relational dynamics thatare at the heart of therapeutic action, but which all toofrequentlyget bypassed. This brief recollection highlights how Safran's commitment to open inquiry and mutuality-not just with his patients but also with his students-continues to impact the field.

A Long-Term Study on the Effect of a Professional Development Program on Science Teachers’ Inquiry

In this study we explore the effect of a professional development (PD) program on four science teachers’ views and practices nearly a year after its completion, regarding inquiry implementation in everyday school practice. The PD program aimed to familiarize participants with current trends in science education (SE), putting emphasis on the inquiry approach. The basic research question guiding this study is whether science teachers’ inquiry practices and views changed, and to which extent, long after their participation in the PD program. Teachers’ practices were recorded, both during and after the PD, through non-participatory observation and were analysed through a semi-quantitative method. Teachers’ views were also recorded both during and after PD through structured questionnaires and reflective interviews, producing qualitative data that were analysed. Findings are encouraging concerning the preservation of guided inquiry practices obtained during the program, while more open inquiry practices proved to be limited. Teachers’ views concerning inquiry remained positive, also maintaining their innovative character.

Explicit Incorporation of the Nature of Science (NOS) in an Undergraduate Preservice Teacher Science Content Course: Action Research

This study aimed to address the gap in an environmental science undergraduate course by investigating the impact of explicitly integrating the Nature of Science (NOS) into the instruction of scientific inquiry. The lab-based course focused on developing an understanding of the natural world, as well as the processes scientists use to study that world. Through action research, data collection methods included the Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire (VNOS-B) and analysis of students' reflections on assignments and open inquiry projects for 37 students. Pre- and post-questionnaires were analyzed using NVIvo12, categorizing responses into five levels of NOS understanding thematically. Descriptive statistics were used to assess NOS views. Class reflective assignments and open inquiry projects were coded and evaluated using the revised NSI rubric employing a mixed methods analysis. The results reveal a notable shift in students' NOS understanding following the intervention which demonstrates the significance of deliberate NOS instruction. The research also pinpoints areas where students require focused instruction, offering valuable insights for educators with an emphasis on the impact of NOS integration in enhancing scientific literacy and highlighting the role of action research in refining instructional practices.

Resolving to believe: Kierkegaard's direct doxastic voluntarism

AbstractAccording to a traditional interpretation of Kierkegaard, he endorses a strong form of direct doxastic voluntarism on which we can, by brute force of will, make a “leap of faith” to believe propositions that we ourselves take to be improbable and absurd. Yet most leading Kierkegaard scholars now wholly reject this reading, instead interpreting Kierkegaard as holding that the will can affect what we believe only indirectly. This paper argues that Kierkegaard does in fact endorse a restricted, sophisticated, and plausible version of direct doxastic voluntarism. On Kierkegaard's view, when we take ourselves to be in an epistemically permissive situation, we have the ability to form outright beliefs (but not credences) at will in virtue of our ability to voluntarily 1) open or close inquiry and 2) determine our attitude towards epistemic risk.

Engaging theoretically primed students in second year lab courses

During their second year, about 50 undergraduate physics students engage in an open inquiry lab course of 56 hours that prepares them for their bachelor research project. Two combined theory-practical courses (of which 84 hours are spent in the lab) precede this open inquiry course. These preceding courses focus on specific research skills or the use of new theory in experiments (among others the Fourier transform and signal processing). These courses are based on Holmes’ SQI-model. The final open inquiry course that focuses on general research skills is based on Etkina’s ISLE-model. From literature we have identified 5 educational design criteria to engage students in such lab courses and implemented them. One of these was effective in our implementation. We have found that quantitative physics research as opposed to design research or focusing on certain skills is needed to make our theoretically-primed students appreciate our lab courses more. It helped our students to see the meaning of our experiments better and see the need for what we want them to learn in our lab courses. For the other 4 design criteria anecdotal evidence was found shedding some light on the way in which they may work.

Pedagogical beliefs of South African physics teachers for inquiry approaches

This study explored the pedagogical beliefs held by South African physics teachers towards inquiry approaches. A significant curriculum goal of school science in most countries is for learning to happen through inquiry. A similar goal is expressed in the South African school science curriculum. The findings of a quantitative survey that was administered to 166 teachers showed that teachers reported having a predominantly constructivist pedagogical belief suggesting a tendency to facilitate students’ construct of knowledge through their experiential learning. To a lesser extent, teachers exhibited a traditionalist belief that is teacher-directed and lends itself to transmission of knowledge. In investigating the relationship between pedagogical beliefs and orientation towards inquiry-based teaching, it was found that teachers who have a constructivist belief favour guided inquiry and open inquiry. Teacher who possess a traditionalist beliefs have a tendency for direct epistemic approaches such as didactic direct or active direct.

The Writing in the Sand. Introducing Sandtray Work in Futures Research Supervision

This paper presents an open inquiry that embraces curiosity and vulnerability in the anticipatory space of an art-led, Futures orientated PhD supervisory relationship. We use sandtray work to elicit an anticipatory aesthetic, recording emergent data and processes through the dialogical method of duoethnography, and the visual format of photography. We seek to generate an environment that rouses imagination, creativity and futures consciousness implicit in the Australian Research Council’s definition of research. We use a duoethnographic method to collaborate, reflect and provide dialogical ways to surface deep meanings. There is a shared equity of understanding of the research process as a vehicle for engaging with the unknown. Both supervisor and supervisee hold explicit and implicit referent knowledge in relation to person and process. Therefore, it is a collaborative, reciprocal and fluid environment, where 1 + 1 = ∞ possibilities. We use sandtray to provide the location of open inquiry, dialogical reciprocation, reflection, and improvisation. This gives voice to the meaning that is made in the meandering paths between the words and an opportunity to loosen the shackles of business as usual. The sandtray moves not-known material into conscious awareness via somatic/intuitive symbol selection, engagement with metaphor, and projection; each privileging the unconscious. Introducing sandtray process into the supervisory relationship provides an alternative and adjunct modality of non-verbal inquiry that can support the calling of an anticipatory aesthetic through the Futures Senses. While there is rich, though sparse, literature describing the facilitation of sandtray work within the context of clinical supervision of mental health professionals, the introduction of such an approach within research supervision appears rare, or unique in relation to published research.

Latour’s Discernment Tools in Action: Exploring and Solving Complex Social Problems Through Participatory Methods

This article explores the practical application of Bruno Latour’s “tools of discernment,” designed to facilitate open collective inquiry without preconceived outcomes. These tools aim to enhance understanding of complex social phenomena, often called “wicked problems,” by encouraging participants to self-describe their experiences and perspectives. This approach allows for individual expression, constructing collective narratives, and pursuing societal solutions. In Bordeaux, research focused on young people’s engagement and aspirations. Researchers employed discernment tools alongside a non-participatory observational approach, meticulously documenting interactions and discussions. The abductive process enabled a real-time understanding of young participants’ social dynamics and concerns, highlighting essential themes such as the multifunctionality of public spaces and the impact of digital technology on social relations. In Montreal, the study addressed systemic racism and discrimination using discernment tools. Written contributions were analyzed to identify recurring themes and underlying dynamics. This process ensured participants’ voices were accurately represented, resulting in 38 recommendations for institutional recognition and action against systemic racism. The deployment of discernment tools in both cities demonstrated their effectiveness in capturing individual experiences and fostering collective understanding while addressing complex societal challenges. However, challenges such as participant engagement and interpretive bias require adaptive planning and critical reflection. This article demonstrates the potential of discernment tools in participatory social science research, advocating for inclusive and iterative methodologies to tackle complex societal issues. Additionally, it proposes a deployment protocol to foster constructive dialogue, improve understanding of complex social dynamics, and facilitate the development of workable solutions.

Scientific Theories and Their Psychological Corollaries: The Ecological Crisis as a Case Study in the Need for Synthesis

That policy makers will ever rationally respond to scientific warnings about the ecological crisis should be treated as a falsifiable hypothesis. After more than five decades of such warnings, there is a strong case for skepticism. Climate and other ecological tipping points constitute the quantitative thresholds beyond which current political systems can definitively be said to have failed. This presents a mandate to generate broad consensus on where tipping points lie, and at what proximity to them new strategies should be pursued. Central to any new strategy should be an understanding of why the old one failed—an understanding of why those in power almost exclusively derive from academic backgrounds other than physical science, and the psychological differences between those who issued or received so many warnings of collapse. To that end, a psychological trait syndrome relevant to political power is proposed, based on correlations between academic specialization, psychometric results, and the behavior of powerful people across a wide range of societies. This proposed syndrome consists of four covarying dimensions of individual difference. These are perceptions of hierarchy vs. egalitarianism, established knowledge vs. open inquiry, physical vs. symbolic action, and schematic vs. particular knowledge.

Recasting the gold standard - part II of II: communicating healthcare options along a continuum of care.

This is the second part of a two-part series on spectrum of care that encourages practitioners to tailor case management to the patient along a continuum of acceptable options. Part I defined the spectrum of care and broadened its approach beyond initial cost-of-care considerations. This second article introduces strategies for initiating conversations with clients about their needs, wants and expectations specific to healthcare options and case management decisions. It will explore how open inquiry, reflective listening, transparency and unconditional positive regard facilitate dialogue between providers and their clients as they collaborate on decision-making along a spectrum of care. Contextual case management prioritizes interventions that are appropriate for both the patient and the client. To identify and explore which healthcare options represent the best fit for those impacted most by medical decisions, veterinarians need to make space for clients to feel comfortable sharing their perspectives. Clients are more likely to be engaged in decision-making when their insight is actively solicited. They have much to share with us as experts about their cat's overall health and wellness needs. Inviting clients to contribute to the consultation and being receptive to hearing what motivates their choices helps us to structure conversations around healthcare options. The ability to communicate healthcare options is as vital as the provision of healthcare, if not more so.

One setup for many experiments: enabling versatile student-led investigations

This article presents an experimental setup capable of conducting various experiments. The setup is used to accurately determine the acceleration due to gravity using either the pendulum or free fall experiment, as well as to allow students to conceive and conduct their own experiment. We discuss the design of the setup and the experiments conducted with it, highlighting the versatility and potential use for open inquiry. We include students’ perception on this particular experiment and how it led to an interesting and educational open inquiry.

Full-Structured or Supported by Incremental Scaffolds? Effects on Perceived Competence and Motivation

Scientific inquiry is an inquiry-based learning approach that emphasizes student investigation of research questions and the utilization of scientific methods to address those research questions. One such method is experimentation, which is viewed as an open-ended problem-solving process that is mostly perceived by students as a complex procedure. Supplementing open inquiry with instructional support that matches students’ competences is crucial to enable autonomous experimentation. Incremental scaffolds offer instructional guidance during experimentation and allow students to work on a task autonomously. To answer the question of whether guidance through incremental scaffolds, as opposed to full-structured experimenting, might have a positive impact on students’ perceived competence regarding experimentation and motivation, 251 students were assigned to two treatment conditions in our study. The “full-structured group” (n = 122) worked with full-structured experimentation guides and the “incremental scaffolds group” (n = 129) received incremental scaffolds as supporting materials during experimentation. Our results show that the students in the “full-structured group” perceived themselves as significantly more competent in planning, conducting, and analyzing the experiment and were more intrinsically motivated than the students of the “incremental scaffolds group”.

Contribution of the Inquiry Learning Model to Student Scientific Argumentation Skills on Fluid

The inquiry learning model is a model that facilitates the construction of students' scientific knowledge which can also improve students' argumentation skills. According to several research results, inquiry-based learning has proven to be effective in improving scientific argumentation skills because in the learning process students are directed in investigative activities to find scientific evidence as a basis for scientific argumentation. By considering the student learning process, the aim of this research is to describe whether the use of three types of inquiry learning models can teach fluid material and influence the student learning process, one of which is students' argumentation abilities. This research method uses mixed method triangulation. The instruments used were interview questionnaires and argumentation tests. The data obtained was then analyzed using simple statistical tests and N-gain scores. Interview data was analyzed to find out clarification of students' answers. The research results of the inquiry learning model were successful in developing argumentation skills, namely the n-gain score resulted in the use of the structured inquiry learning model gaining 0.88, the guided inquiry learning model 0.84 and the open inquiry learning model 0.74.

Attitudes and beliefs toward physics: A mini review

A mini review of attitudes and beliefs toward physics has been carried out. The purpose of this study was to address aspects that influence attitudes and beliefs toward physics and various learning models that can increase attitudes and beliefs toward physics. The method used in this study was literature review. Literature review was done by searching for keywords, i.e.: attitudes towards physics and beliefs towards physics. This keyword search was done through Google Scholar, Base, and Core search engines. We have obtained 25 articles that matched the keywords and have been screened with the limitation of the year of publication, namely the last 10 years. Through this literature review it can be obtained that physics attitudes and beliefs were influenced by gender and personality, grade level, type of school, and age. Contradictions regarding aspects that influence attitudes and beliefs about physics occur in the gender aspect. Various learning methods to improve attitudes and beliefs about physics were cooperative learning models with jigsaw, Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), concept maps, peer instruction methods, open inquiry methods, learning integrated with music, and learning using a computer simulation model.

Developing participant intellectual humility through technology delivered instruction – A proposed model

In this paper, we propose an intervention model as a pedagogical tool to develop intellectual humility through the lens of Karl Weick's (1995) sensemaking paradigm. We discuss the digital learning program Perspectives™ as an intervention method for instructional delivery. The purpose of our proposed model is to increase participant engagement and learning in becoming tolerant to viewpoint diversity and open inquiry, the hallmark of a liberal education. The model will serve as a key step in future research underpinning the promotion of cultural diversity, equity, and inclusion in the classroom. Beyond the theoretical contributions, this research also provides a methodological contribution by pairing the model with the use of a technology delivered instructional tool.

The indispensable role of the goal construct in understanding and improving teaching practice

ABSTRACT Teacher research tends to focus on either teacher cognition or actions, or both. However, an understanding of cognition or behaviour that does not take multiple goals into account is incomplete. We integrate insights from self-regulation research in a goal system model and a methodology for eliciting teachers’ goal systems representations (GSRs). GSRs are personal constructs that show how people connect hierarchies of goals to actions in pursuit of tasks. The insight that multiple goals mediate the influence of cognition and context also has consequences for developing support for teacher learning. To illustrate the use of GSRs, we use the case of a biology student teacher who taught practicals in a cookbook manner and was supported to redesign her cookbook practical into a more open scientific inquiry practical. The case illustrates how GSRs can be used to understand a teacher’s practice and to develop support that bridges for the teacher the gap between current and target practices. Such support shows the teacher how they can adapt their practice to make it more in line with the target practice, and how this contributes to attaining their goals better. Additionally, we describe practical variants of the bridging approach for groups of (student) teachers.