Simplifying Inquiry Instruction: Assessing the Inquiry Level of Classroom Activities

Abstract

Inquiry instruction is a hallmark of the current science education reform efforts. Science teachers know that inquiry is important, yet most teachers lack a practical framework of inquiry to inform their instruction. Defining inquiry and assessing how much inquiry is supported by a particular activity or lab can be difficult and confusing. This article presents a simplified explanation of inquiry and provides a rubric that will enable science teachers to determine whether an activity is inquiry based and, if so, to assess the level of inquiry it supports. Additionally, the framework presented will allow teachers to easily adjust the level of inquiry in an activity and increase the amount of inquiry in their science instruction. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What is inquiry? The National Science Education Standards characterize inquiry instruction as involving students in a form of active learning that emphasizes questioning, data analysis, and critical thinking. Students at all grade levels and in every domain of science should have the opportunity to use scientific inquiry and develop the ability to think and act in ways associated with inquiry, including asking questions, planning and conducting investigations, using appropriate tools and techniques to gather data, thinking critically and logically about relationships between evidence and explanations, constructing and analyzing alternative explanations, and communicating scientific arguments (NRC 1996, p. 105). At its heart, inquiry is an active learning process in which students answer research questions through data analysis. One might argue that the most authentic inquiry activities are those in which students answer their own questions through analyzing data they collect independently. However, an activity can still be inquiry based when the questions and data are provided, as long as students are conducting the analysis and drawing their own conclusions. Furthermore, most students need substantial scaffolding before they are ready to develop scientific questions and design effective data collection procedures to answer these questions. The ideal plan for inquiry instruction recognizes this fact and seeks to help students progress to greater inquiry skills through a series of graduated steps, as described later in this article. Inquiry or not? The first question to ask when determining whether an activity is inquiry based is, Are students answering a research question through data analysis? Many worthwhile hands-on activities traditionally performed in science classrooms do not involve a research question or data analysis. For example, constructing models of cells or atoms, assembling a wildflower collection, or constructing a scale model of the solar system can all be excellent activities. However, as traditionally taught, these activities do not involve research questions and therefore do not qualify as inquiry activities. For the same reason, activities designed to give practice with a particular skill, such as learning to use a triple beam balance or reading a graduated cylinder, do not constitute inquiry. Inquiry-based activities must start with a scientific question. For example * How does the amount of a substance affect its density? * How does temperature affect the rate of a chemical reaction? * Did the latest El Nino impact the climate where I live? * In what ways does the Moon's shape and position in the sky change over the course of a month? In addition to having a research question, inquiry activities must involve students in analyzing relevant data. Consequently, having students conduct research by solely searching library or internet resources does not constitute an inquiry lesson. In these activities, students are gathering information but are not analyzing data to answer their questions of interest. …

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