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Partnerships for Science Education (PAFSE) is a case study of project-based learning applied to real-world problems connected with public health and sustainable development. The EU-funded project organizes science education activities at low secondary level engaging students and school stakeholders (universities, research centres, start-ups, enterprises, governmental organisations, NGOs) in health promotion and disease prevention actions that benefit the health and well-being of the community. Projects leaded by schools are addressed within educational scenarios co-created with partners interested in STEM education and developed under a relevant public health issue through their continuous engagement in open schooling approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In high-quality project-based learning (PBL), teachers lead inquiries that position students as knowledge producers. We know little, however, about how to prepare teachers for this work. Following teachers through PBL professional development (PD) focused specifically on disciplinary inquiry (DI), researchers scored teaching videos, student work, and teacher interviews. Next, they examined relationships between teachers' scores and the time their instructional coaches spent on four coaching practices: representing, decomposing, and reflecting on practice, and preparing teachers to enact practice. Results reveal that teachers improved at facilitating DI and that their growth was highly correlated with time spent analyzing representations of practice. • This study uncovers relationships between coaching practices and teachers' take-up of inquiry-based teaching practices. • Scores of pre/post classroom video, teacher interviews, and student work reveal improvement at inquiry-based teaching. • We studied relationships between teacher scores and the time coaches spent on different coaching activities. • When coaches represented and decomposed inquiry-based teaching practices, teachers were likely to improve their practice. • Showing representations of teaching practice was the coaching practice most correlated with teacher take up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on data from a large-scale assessment of school quality in China, this study examined the differences in the impact of learning and teaching strategies on the students' academic achievements between elementary and middle schools. Two-level hierarchical linear models and coarsened exact matching revealed three major findings: (a) Cognitive, meta-cognitive, and inquiry-based learning strategies were significant predictors of students' academic achievements, and the effect sizes of these strategies were larger in middle schools; (b) Individualized instruction, participatory instruction, and guided inquiry teaching strategies were significant predictors of students' achievements, and the effect sizes of these strategies were larger in elementary schools; (c) Overall teaching strategies significantly improved learning strategies, and the effects were greater in elementary schools. These findings call for more research on learning/teaching strategies to improve students' academic performance. • Learning strategies predict students' academic achievements. • Learning strategies are more important in middle schools. • Teaching strategies predict students' academic achievements. • Teaching strategies are more important in elementary schools. • Teaching strategies significantly improve learning strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work uses a virtual laboratory (VL) as a learning scaffold for students to explore the conditions for accurate titration. A simulation program for precipitation titration and a simulation-based exploration exercise were developed. The exercise consists of three questions/tasks related to conditions for accurate titration, in which students independently design solutions, conduct virtual experiments, analyze the results, and draw conclusions based on the guided questions. After using the program, 22 chemistry education students who do not often use the app found the program to be easy to use, practical, and effective, and achieved a scoring rate of 79.4% in the exercise. • A precipitation titration simulation program was developed as an educational tool. • Virtual Labs (programs) and guided questions serve as learning scaffold. • Students independently conduct inquiry-based learning. • The learning outcomes and user experience of the program were evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an overview of the design, implementation, revision and informal assessment of an information literacy curriculum embedded in a new University Foundations (UF) program at a mid-sized public university. The library information literacy sessions incorporated team-based learning and Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) elements using iPads. Each session provided students an opportunity to develop and apply information literacy skills, and included critical thinking questions which led students to think about underlying concepts. A focus group with the librarians assessed the UF library curriculum, its impact on student engagement, and the training activities for librarian teaching preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open inquiry is the fourth and highest level of an inquiry-based approach in science teaching and learning. Although previous research has highlighted several benefits of open inquiry, thus far, no studies have comprehensively reviewed its impacts using systematic and rigorous methodologies. Thus, the central aim of this review study was to develop a better understanding of the impacts of an open inquiry approach on students' learning in science. The search strategy was restricted to articles published in established scholarly databases (WOS, Scopus and ERIC), following the seven steps in conducting a systematic literature review process in educational research. As a result, 24 articles were extracted and qualified for inclusion in this review study. Finally, a thematic analysis was conducted to analyse the articles and five themes were generated: i) students' conceptual understanding, ii) students' motivation, iii) students' attitudes towards science, iv) students' scientific and thinking skills, and v) students' science literacy and other science-related skills. Although open inquiry positively impacted students' learning in science, the reviewed article also reported some challenges in its implementation, notably the need for classroom management, flexible teaching and learning, teacher-student interaction and teacher support. This review study provides a significant contribution to science education research, indicating that the highest level of an inquiry-based approach may not be the 'best' approach. However, this review offers a future opportunity for policymakers, teacher educators, science education academics, NGOs, science teachers, and other interested parties to promote inquiry pedagogy to improve students' learning in science. • Open inquiry. • Inquiry-based learning. • Science teaching and learning. • Science education. • Systematic review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores how pre-service teachers understand inquiry before and after an inquiry-based practicum and identify which key learning experiences (KLEs) were conducive to inquiry. A survey (n = 57) and a semistructured interview (n = 23) were conducted. Results showed that pre-service teachers' forms of inquiry increased in frequency and complexity after the practicum. The KLE that made their understanding of inquiry more complex was the systematization of the inquiry process into distinct phases. This study reinforces the need to implement an inquiry-based practicum in pre-service teacher training and provides guidance on which learning activities should be prioritized during the practicum. • Learning new forms of inquiry before and after inquiry-based practicum was explored. • A survey and interview were used to measure pre-service teachers' representations of inquiry. • Learning experiences that promote a more complex view of inquiry processes were explored. • The inquiry-based practicum allows pre-service teachers to incorporate new inquiry forms into their practice. • Participants who learned new forms of inquiry were aware of the systematic inquiry process they used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A vital aspect of the library and information science (LIS) professional's identity involves an ongoing reflective, inquiry-based research praxis that can be considered "the information deep," where the LIS skillset is enacted as a means of sociocultural restorative justice. In the American context, with the LIS profession's demographics comprised of over 80% white women, professional practices can be problematic when librarians lack an inquiry-based positionality while serving a diverse reading public. Footed is a methodology that advocates for reclaiming and restoring heritage-based knowledge to actualize a justice-based identity and praxis for LIS professionals. An autoethnographic case study from the authors' heritage-based research process is presented to examine how Footed' s process informs information-seeking behavior for praxis. Librarians and information professionals can use the Footed method to guide their own heritage-based research to build self-knowledge as a foundation for exacting meaningful, culturally competent information services. • Culturally competent librarians embrace heritage-based literacy and research practices. • FOOTED 's approach to heritage-based practitioner research fortifies librarian skill sets based on restorative justice. • The approach integrates accidental narration, critical inquiry, and sociology of cultural heritage concepts. • Drawing on autoethnography, an extended example of practitioner inquiry guided by the "Footed" approach is presented. • Librarians can use Footed 's conceptual framework and method for research on their own heritage or for their community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyploidy, resulting from the duplication of the entire genome of an organism or cell, greatly affects genes and genomes, cells and tissues, organisms, and even entire ecosystems. Despite the wide-reaching importance of polyploidy, communication across disciplinary boundaries to identify common themes at different scales has been almost nonexistent. However, a critical need remains to understand commonalities that derive from shared polyploid cellular processes across organismal diversity, levels of biological organization, and fields of inquiry – from biodiversity and biocomplexity to medicine and agriculture. Here, we review the current understanding of polyploidy at the organismal and suborganismal levels, identify shared research themes and elements, and propose new directions to integrate research on polyploidy toward confronting interdisciplinary grand challenges of the 21st century. Communication across disciplinary boundaries to identify common themes of polyploidy has been extremely limited. Identifying commonalities that derive from shared polyploid cellular processes across disparate fields of inquiry holds promise to identify breakthroughs in numerous areas – from biodiversity and biocomplexity to medicine and agriculture. We propose new directions to integrate research on polyploidy toward confronting interdisciplinary grand challenges of the 21st century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An unusual case of peripheral arterial disease with an aortobifemoral bypass graft. • Aortobifemoral bypass grafts preserve flow to the lower extremities. • Surgical implants in cadavers create a unique learning experience. • Transformation of a traditional dissection class into an inquiry-based learning. • Clinical cases incorporated in the anatomy curriculum promote active-learning. An unusual vascular implant found during routine cadaver dissection influenced instructors and students to learn more about the underlying disease and the surgical technique used to treat this disorder triggering an inquiry-based learning. This report describes a case of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) with an aortobifemoral arterial bypass implant that was never found before in any of the previously dissected cadavers at Gannon University. PAD develops due to impaired blood flow to the lower extremities that causes numbness, weakness, and lower leg pain. The treatments can aim to improve the long-term cardiovascular outcomes. If therapeutic medications do not improve outcomes of PAD, revascularization by endovascular repair or aortofemoral bypass grafting is considered. We would like to note that accidental discoveries of pathologies or surgical procedures during routine cadaveric dissections present a unique possibility for inquiry-based learning among future healthcare providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

De Jong et al. (2023) objected to the evidence presented by Zhang et al. (2022) to support their concerns about the unreserved acceptance and promotion of inquiry-based learning and problem solving in current policy documents related to the teaching of science. In their response, De Jong et al. (2023) reiterated their advocacy for inquiry approaches, arguing that an emphasis on a mixture of inquiry learning and explicit instruction is needed. The present article rebuts De Jong et al. (2023), in which we: 1) challenge their view of and approach to scientific methods in establishing the efficacy of different instructional approaches; 2) indicate that an underpinning theory to explain the cognitive machinery that drives inquiry-based instructional approaches is missing from their argument; and 3) address the empirical issues arising in their argument. We also highlight potential agreement with De Jong et al. (2023) on the essential role of explicit instruction and thus raise a call to the field to revise current science educational policies and standards to reflect such a role. Our agreements and disagreements advance the debate to a new focus concerning when and how inquiry-based learning and explicit instruction should be used and combined. While De Jong et al. (2023), in their theory-free paper, provided no answer to how explicit instruction and inquiry learning should be combined, we offer our suggestions based on evolutionary psychology and the expertise reversal effect from cognitive load theory. • The use of inquiry learning and explicit instruction has generated controversy. • Different categories of research support either form of instruction. • Cognitive load theory indicates appropriate instructional procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Science practices at home within the scope of open inquiry-based science laboratory practices had a significant effect on the critical thinking dispositions of pre-service science teachers. • Science practices at home within the scope of open inquiry-based science laboratory practices had a significant effect on the science learning skills of pre-service science teachers. • The science process skills, creative thinking skills, critical thinking skills, research skills, questioning skills, problem-solving, and communication skills of preservice teachers have improved in science practices at home within the scope of open inquiry-based science laboratory practices. • Pre-service teachers actively carried out research and inquiry and that they took responsibility for time management, learning outcomes, and learning experience. • Home science practices within the scope of open inquiry-based science laboratory practices have a positive effect on the scientific inquiry skills of prospective science teachers. • The characteristics of individuals with accommodating learning style such as planning, executing decisions, and making new experiences come to the fore. • Prospective teachers' reflections on designing experiments on the kitchen table that enhance novelty and critical thinking. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of home science practices on science teacher candidates' critical thinking dispositions, science learning skills, scientific inquiry skills, and learning styles within the scope of open inquiry-based science laboratory practices. For this purpose, the opinions of prospective science teachers within the scope of home science laboratory practices are explored. Participants included 79 third-grade elementary school level (i.e., 8+ year olds) science teacher candidates. Convergent parallel mixed design from mixed methods was used in the study. As a result of the quantitative analysis of the research, a statistically significant difference was found between the pre-test and post-test results of the science teacher candidates' critical thinking dispositions and science learning skills of home science practices. Within the scope of open research inquiry-based science laboratory practices, science teacher candidates' home science practices increased in the informed category at the end of the term in all sub-dimensions of scientific inquiry skills. It was concluded that science teacher candidates experienced shifts in their learning styles relating to (i.e., Diverging, Assimilating, Converging, and Accommodating) their home science practices. The qualitative results of the study were examined based on the following themes: skills, learning environment, application process, and affective changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Elementary teachers' classroom work is complex and dynamic. • Twenty-first century educational concepts share common in approaches. • Seven principles illustrate critical literacy within an inquiry frame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A period of re-negotiation is expected when introducing a new teaching and learning approach in a Bachelor of Nursing course. This study, underpinned by a social constructivist framework, used action research to uncover the interactions, challenges and outcomes when implementing an inquiry-based learning approach to support the development of students' clinical reasoning and capability to think like a nurse. Data collection involved non-participant observation of 32 tutorial groups (600 first-year students and 8 teachers) over the first two weeks of semester. Analysis was informed by Charmaz's social constructivist approach. The findings revealed three interconnected constructs: Opting in and out (students), Driving and reframing (teachers) and Creating and realising new understandings (both students and teachers). Introducing a new approach necessitated conscious planning and deliberate behaviour change on behalf of the teacher and student. Use of an inquiry-based learning approach which embedded clinical reasoning, investigative prompts and learning scaffolds in the form of case exemplars assisted students to 'think like a nurse'. • The teacher role in inquiry-based learning is pivotal to facilitate active learning. • Use of consistent scaffolds and frameworks enhanced students' active learning. • Digital technologies facilitate learning but may detract from engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract There are several models of inquiry-based learning, some of which may be practiced in experimental classroom teaching, and some of which may be used in online teaching. This study proposes the "prediction-observation-quiz-explanation" (POQE) model to design a green energy generation learning program (i.e., how solar, wind, and water can produce energy) and to test how participants' cognitive-affective factors affect their interest in using this model. A total of 396 technical high school students participated in this experimental study, and 375 valid data were collected and subjected to confirmatory factor analysis with structural equation modelling. The results indicated that incremental belief of intelligence was negatively related to cognitive load, but positively related to green energy learning self-efficacy (GELSE) in practicing POQE. Cognitive load was negatively related to flow experience, while GELSE was positively related to flow experience. Finally, flow experience was positively related to the intention to continue online learning with the POQE model. The implications of this study are that e-learning designers can use this POQE model to develop more educational content for students to learn various concepts. Highlights • This study designed a green energy learning program by using the "prediction-observation-quiz-explanation" (POQE) model. • Increasing incremental belief of intelligence will decrease cognitive load but increase GELSE. • Increasing cognitive load will decrease flow, while increasing GELSE will increase flow. • Increasing flow will increase continue intention of POQE inquiry-based learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A recent discussion on science teaching has been focusing on questions of whether it is necessary to withhold answers from learners until inquiry activities are completed and whether learners develop high-level science learning when they are physically involved in scientific investigations. To contribute to this topic, the present study examined the effects of withholding answers from learners coupled with involving them in physical manipulations on their learning of energy transfer in three domains, knowing, reasoning, and applying. The study compared students' learning outcomes in the hands-on inquiry condition that incorporated the two instructional elements, with learning in the explicit investigation condition that only involved learners in manipulations, and in direct instruction condition that excluded the two instructional elements. The results showed that the instructional conditions affected students' learning of energy transfer in knowing and reasoning, but not in applying. After controlling for students' prior knowledge, participants in the hands-on inquiry condition gained less class content and demonstrated a lower ability of reasoning than those in the direct instruction condition. Students did not differ in their ability to apply the learned content to real-life situations across conditions. Highlights • This study empirically examined effects of withholding answers + involving physical manipulations on students' learning. • This study focused students' learning outcomes on three domains, knowing, reasoning, and applying. • Withholding answers coupled with involving manipulations led to less gain in class content and lower ability in reasoning. • There was no difference in applying across conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Although inquiry learning has increasingly been a topic of empirical research, there has been little investigation of individual differences in this regard. What makes some students more effective inquiry learners than others? We examined two kinds of self-regulation – cognitive regulation and behavior regulation – as possible predictors of individual differences in middle-school students' inquiry learning performance. Across two studies, one involving middle-class students (n = 135) and one involving students from a lower socioeconomic status underachieving population (n = 21), results were consistent. Cognitive regulation, but not behavior regulation, was associated with more successful inquiry learning. We discuss implications for the role of regulatory processes in inquiry learning and, more broadly, for education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a relatively popular practice in recent years, the flipped learning model moves traditional lecturing outside the class, yet it might prove challenging to find appropriate in-class activities that promote research, active learning and higher-order thinking skills. This study attempts to investigate if learner-generated materials could promote active and inquiry-based learning in such a class and help develop positive attitudes towards flipped learning in general. It also seeks to understand the role, perceived value and ease of using authoring tools used to build learning materials in facilitating inquiry-based active learning in the classroom. It adopts a sequential explanatory mixed-methods research design, in which 40 intermediate Turkish learners of English studied various topics in phonetics and phonology by creating learning materials in teams. The analysis of the data from a post-instruction survey and follow-up interviews with 8 participants imply that learner-generated materials produced using user-friendly authoring tools seem to be a good option for learners to get involved in research in a flipped class. The findings also revealed that although the learners reported mostly positive attitudes and that the higher and lower scorers (Moodle Scores) viewed the flipped learning model almost equally valuable, the higher scorers talked more positively about how the course was delivered. However, as the findings indicated, radical changes introduced by both the use of the flipped model itself and new software and a lesson sequence based on thinking, production and research might constitute a major challenge for students that are accustomed to traditional methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Curriculum ergonomics exposed a gap between expository and narrative approaches. • Mathematical inquiry lessons analysed with Jerome Bruner's features of narrative. • Narrative highlighted how primary students made meaning within mathematical inquiry. • Making connections and sharing incomplete ideas over time promote narrative norms. • Narrative in mathematics supports alignment between goals of student and curriculum. Abstract Curriculum ergonomics focuses on the "fit" between students and the curriculum, and how this "fit" extends students' understanding of content. We argue that the opportunity for narrative in an inquiry-based learning environment in mathematics promotes this "fit" between students and the curriculum. This is in contrast to purely expository forms, which focus on description and facts. In this paper, we use Bruner's concept of narrative to propose elements of a curriculum ergonomics design framework—connection, sharing of incomplete ideas and repeated experiences over time—that promotes opportunities for "fit" in implementing mathematics curriculum. We draw on data from a primary school classroom (ages 7–8) to illustrate how this fit is played out in a classroom that engages in learning mathematics through inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Explored cross-cultural collaboration through disciplinary inquiry-based learning. • Collaborative inquiry can connect culturally and geographically diverse students. • Cross-cultural inquiry projects promote engagement with educational cosmopolitanism. • Adds to the body of literature on global education and disciplinary inquiry learning. Abstract As our world becomes more connected, globalized education becomes increasingly important. Drawing from educational cosmopolitanism and disciplinary inquiry, this collective case study focused on Chinese and US students’ demonstrations of the four capacities of Wahlström’s (2014) educational cosmopolitanism, i.e., hospitality, self-reflexivity, intercultural dialogue, and transactions of perspectives, throughout the phases of a cross-cultural collaborative inquiry project referred to as Project-Based Inquiry (PBI) Global. Data sources included (a) semi-structured student focus groups (post-PBI Global), (b) our observations and interactions with students throughout the process, (c) the students’ posts and uploads in their shared writing space, Quip, and (d) the students’ PBI Global products. Results shed light on how cross-cultural collaborative disciplinary inquiry fosters students’ demonstration and development of educational cosmopolitan capacities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we explore how reflective practices function in the process of collaborative writing of primary school students, performing writing tasks in the context of inquiry learning. Previous research has established that reflecting on the writing process and use of metalanguage are significant for developing writing proficiency. The Conversation Analysis-informed exploration displayed different practices. First, students reflect on appropriateness, in terms of redundancy, relevance and style, when accounting for the rejection of a proposal. Second, students reflect on correctness of spelling, punctuation and grammar, which becomes observable in recruitments, instructions and corrections. The findings suggest that students share a strong orientation to certain writing norms that are merely made relevant in a responsive manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inquiry-based Learning is increasingly suggested as an efficient approach for fostering learners' curiosity and motivation. It helps learners to develop their ability to work in complex and unpredictable environments making them more critical thinkers and agentic learners. Although mobile technology is a suitable support for this learning process, there is a lack of practical strategies for educational practitioners to enact the right balance between enabling agency and supporting the students through the mobile technology. Thus, we conducted a literature review that analyzed 62 studies on mobile inquiry-based learning. The analysis focused on the level of agency supported by mobile technology. This review study provided two main results. The first result is a two-layer classification –with five types and twelve subtypes– of the most common mobile activities used in inquiry-based learning. The types and subtypes are: 1) Direct instruction formed by 1a) location guidance, 1b) procedural guidance and 1c) metacognitive guidance, 2) Access to content formed by 2a) fixed and 2b) dynamic content, 3) Data collection that consists of 3a) cooperative and 3b) collaborative data collection, 4) Peer-to-peer communication formed by 4a) asynchronous and 4b) synchronous social communications and 5) Contextual support that includes 5a) augmented experience, 5b) immersive experience and 5c) adaptive feedback. The second result consists of an analytical framework –based on six dimensions– to assess the level of agency supported by the different types of mobile activities. The learners' agency dimensions are: 1) Goals, 2) Content, 3) Actions, 4) Strategies, 5) Reflection and 6) Monitoring. Finally, the review presents insights on how this analytical framework can be used by educational practitioners to identify mobile activities that effectively balance learners’ agency with mobile technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematicians and mathematics educators agree that proof is an important tool in mathematics, yet too often undergraduate students see proof as a superficial part of the discipline. While proof is often used by mathematicians to justify that a theorem is true, many times proof is used for another purpose entirely such as to explain why a particular statement is true or to show mathematics students a particular proof technique. This paper reports on a study that used a form of inquiry-based learning (IBL) in an introduction to proof course and measured the beliefs of students in this course about the different functions of proof in mathematics as compared to students in a non-IBL course. It was found that undergraduate students in an introduction to proof course had a more robust understanding of the functions of proof than previous studies would suggest. Additionally, students in the course taught using inquiry pedagogy were more likely to appreciate the communication, intellectual challenge, and providing autonomy functions of proof. It is hypothesized that these results are a response to the pedagogy of the course and the types of student activity that were emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aesthetic inquiry is a discipline-specific form of Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) that explores problems on the value, nature and meaning of art in life. It is meant to engage the students in the critical and conceptual aspects of artistic activities as is the nature of inquiry. However, an analysis of 67 Primary 5 (11 year olds) and 71 Secondary 1 (13 year olds) visual art lessons in Singapore found that teachers continue to implement aesthetic inquiry as formal analysis and skills mastery more so than meaning making. The findings using the comprehensive observational indicators of this study will be useful for researchers, curriculum writers, and policy makers to underpin the challenges among in-service teachers in IBL. More importantly, it will enable teachers to learn and reflect on their competencies in delivering an inquiry-based curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, many countries have revised their curricula to improve scientific inquiry skills and to develop the engineering practices of K-12 students, mostly within the context of science topics. However, there are not enough studies in the literature on what the content of science units integrated with engineering practices should be. There is also a gap in the literature regarding the kind of professional development (PD) training teachers should receive. Considering this gap, for the current study, pre-service science teachers (PSTs) developed Community Based Engineering (CBE)-Enriched Science Units within the context of a PD program. Then, they implemented these units in middle school science classes or science applications classes. The professional development of the pre-service teachers during these units' development and implementation process was closely monitored and the obtained findings were presented to promote both science teacher education and engineering education. In this way, the knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and classroom practices of PSTs regarding CBE-enriched science teaching, and their perceptions of middle school students' learning outcomes were investigated and revealed. Data were collected from 14 volunteer PSTs in a public university in Istanbul, Turkey. The data collection tools were semi-structured interviews, developed units, and reflection papers. As a result, 3 cases came to the fore: participants whose CBE-enriched science teaching self-efficacy increased (4 PSTs), remained unchanged (8 PSTs), and decreased (2 PSTs). Findings are discussed using the Interconnected Model of Professional Growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although asking questions is the most frequently named disciplinary practice included in the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards , little is known about how elementary-aged students learn to develop inquiry questions. In this study, we analyzed how 19 third-grade students in the U.S. Midwest Region developed questions related to economics, geography, history, and political science across five months during the 2017–2018 school year. We found that students were generally successful with developing questions related to the disciplines, but their questions were most often closed-ended. We provide implications for supporting students' learning as they generate inquiry questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inquiry-based education receives much attention in educational practice and theory, since it provides pupils and teachers with opportunities to actively engage in collaboratively answering questions. However, not only do many teachers find this approach demanding, it also remains unclear what they should do to foster this type of education in their classrooms. Our research question was: Which teaching strategies are used by K-12 teachers when promoting inquiry-based education in their classrooms and what are the reported outcomes? After searching for empirical studies on this topic, we examined 186 studies investigating different ways in which teachers can promote inquiry-based education. Analyses revealed varying teaching strategies, differing with regard to direction (teacher directed, student directed and mixed) and different perspectives of regulation (meta-cognitive, conceptual, and social regulation). Results show that important teacher strategies in metacognitive regulation are: focussing on thinking skills, developing a culture of inquiry, supporting inquiry discourse, and promoting nature of science; in conceptual regulation: providing information on the research topic and focussing on conceptual understanding; and in social regulation: bridging the gap between high and low achievers, organizing student learning in groups and focussing on collaboration processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes our reflection on a clinical-based teacher preparation program. We examined a context in which novice pre-service teachers and a mentor teacher implemented inquiry-based science instruction to help students make sense of genetic engineering. We utilized developmental models of professional practice that outline the complexity inherent in professional knowledge as a conceptual framework to analyze teacher practice. Drawing on our analysis, we developed a typography of understandings of inquiry-based science instruction that teachers in our cohort held and generated a two dimensional model characterizing pathways through which teachers develop core teaching practices supporting inquiry-based science instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem finding is an important component of creativity, but research on it does not offer much guidance to teaching. The present research takes a step in that direction with two investigations. The first was a between-subjects evaluation of a short-term classroom teaching process, using creative Chinese problem finding (CCPF) to assess the impact. The second was a long–term, mixed-design of creative scientific problem finding (CSPF) as it developed in response to teaching that emphasized problem finding. Results showed that there were improvements, but different teaching methods had varied impact on students’ creative problem finding (CPF) performance. A mixed teaching method that included both lecture- and inquiry-based teaching was superior to the lecture-based or inquiry-based methods when used separately. The mixed teaching showed the strongest improvements in students’ flexibility and originality on the problem finding tasks. Finally, there was a significant interaction between teaching methods and instructional type (opened, closed) in flexibility and originality of CPF. Practical implications and limitations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigates a training program aimed at preparing pre-service history teachers for organizing inquiry-based learning (IBL) in class. This program consisted of a workshop and an assignment during the teaching internship period. Pre- and posttests indicate that the workshop had a significant effect on self-efficacy and attitude toward IBL, but also that most student teachers' attitudes had again changed after the assignment. Related to this, student teachers' lesson plans revealed three different templates, representing distinct interpretations of ‘inquiry’. An analysis of reflection papers and interviews describes how the context of the teaching internship further shaped student teachers' thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inquiry learning, which is traditionally implemented with real, hands-on experiments, has proven to be an effective way to foster students' conceptual understanding in science. Nowadays, inquiry learning can also be implemented with virtual experiments (interactive simulations) or combinations of real and virtual experiments. The goal of this study was to investigate whether a combination of real and virtual experiments is more effective for fostering students' conceptual understanding than a single real experiment. Moreover, the influence of the sequence of experiments within combined real and virtual experiments was evaluated. In the present study, 202 middle school students participated in an inquiry learning lesson working with either a combination of real and virtual experiments in two different sequences or the real, hands-on experiment only. As the main dependent variable, students' conceptual understanding was assessed with a 15-item multiple-choice test. Performance was analyzed with an ANCOVA with the students' posttest scores as dependent variable while controlling for their pre-test scores. In line with our expectations, inquiry learning fostered students' conceptual understanding in physics; moreover, students in the combination conditions learned more than students in the single experiment condition. The latter can be explained by the complementary advantages offered by the different experimentation formats. Concerning the sequence of experiments, both combinations were equally effective for fostering students' conceptual understanding. We conclude that combinations of real and virtual experiments can be recommended for inquiry learning in science education regardless of their sequence. • We studied inquiry learning in a physics classroom setting. • We compared combinations of real (RE) and virtual (VE) experiments to RE only. • All learning conditions fostered conceptual understanding substantially. • The combinations fostered students' understanding more than the RE alone. • The sequence of RE an VE had no effect on conceptual understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies investigating inquiry learning in science domains have appeared over the years. Throughout this period, inquiry learning has been regularly criticized by scholars who favor direct instruction over inquiry learning. In this vein, Zhang, Kirschner, Cobern, and Sweller (2022) recently asserted that direct instruction is overall superior to inquiry-based instruction and reproached policy makers for ignoring this fact. In the current article we reply to this assertion and the premises on which it is based. We review the evidence and argue that a more complete and correct interpretation of the literature demonstrates that inquiry-based instruction produces better overall results for acquiring conceptual knowledge than does direct instruction. We show that this conclusion holds for controlled, correlational, and program-based studies. We subsequently argue that inquiry-based and direct instruction each have their specific virtues and disadvantages and that the effectiveness of each approach depends on moderating factors such as the learning goal, the domain involved, and students' prior knowledge and other student characteristics. Furthermore, inquiry-based instruction is most effective when supplemented with guidance that can be personalized based on these moderating factors and can even involve providing direct instruction. Therefore, we posit that a combination of inquiry and direct instruction may often be the best approach to support student learning. We conclude that policy makers rightfully advocate inquiry-based instruction, particularly when students' investigations are supplemented with direct instruction at appropriate junctures. • Inquiry-based methods are generally effective for acquiring conceptual knowledge. • Learners must have appropriate prior knowledge to benefit from inquiry learning. • Inquiry-based approaches usually provide learners with (initial) scaffolding. • Many contextual factors determine the success of an instructional approach. • A smart combination of direct instruction and inquiry is often the most effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has demonstrated the potential of practitioner inquiry for developing an inquiry stance among teacher candidates. Little is known, however, about how teacher candidates' ways of engaging with inquiry communities relate to inquiry stance development. This study investigated how teacher candidates engaged with community in a clinically based teacher education program in the United States. A thematic analysis of 30 semi-structured interviews (five with each of six participants) revealed eight approaches to collaboration and structure reflecting four community orientations. The findings suggest that more deeply understanding teacher candidates' engagement with community could assist teacher educators in promoting inquiry stance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we consider learning preference structure of a Decision Maker (DM). Many preference modeling problems in a variety of fields such as marketing, quality control and economics involve possibly interacting criteria, and an ordinal scale is used to express preference of objects. In these cases, typically underlying preference structure of the DM and distribution of criteria values are not known, and only a few data can be collected about the preferences of the DM. For developing a preference model under such circumstances, we propose using nonparametric Statistical Learning approaches interactively. In particular, we employ Active Learning by asking a preference question to the DM at each step and try to reach a close approximation to the correct model in a small number of steps. Our experimental analysis proves that the proposed approach outperforms a “naive” approach where subsequent questions are asked randomly. In the study, we also provide algorithmic recommendations for modeling different underlying value functions, if information is available about the form of the preference structure and/or distribution of criteria values. This study can be regarded as a pioneering approach considering that Statistical Learning based approaches in the literature have been developed and tested based on a relatively large preference information and they do not interact with the DM in model developing process while Multi Criteria Decision Aid based approaches typically ignore interactions among the criteria, suffer from generalization ability, and have no concern about predicting equally good everywhere in the criteria domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informed by a theoretical discussion on teaching global competence, this case study explored how to use inquiry learning to foster Chinese teacher candidates' acquisition of global competence. The results showed that inquiry learning helped student participants understand glocalised educational practices, perspectives, and ideologies; embrace global and intercultural engagement; and grasp the skills and dispositions to critically examine global and local educational issues, power discourses, and work for sustainable educational development. This study suggests pedagogical and programme improvement suggestions, including ensuring instructor guidance in inquiry learning and intercultural engagement, equipping students with critical sociocultural inquiry capabilities, and constructing international interaction platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilized a mixed-methods design to examine the effectiveness of the argument-driven inquiry (ADI) model. The participants were 28 pre-service science teachers (PSTs), and data were collected on their achievement, science process skills, and argumentation levels before and after the treatment. A focus group interview was conducted to investigate their views on the model. The ADI model had a positive impact on PSTs' science process skills, argumentation levels, as well as knowledge of the science content under the activities. Moreover, PSTs held a positive attitude towards using the ADI model in their classes and stressed it provides good retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To fulfill the requirements of the work field for creative, innovative, pharmaceutical scientists the Science Faculty of Utrecht University, The Netherlands, has designed and implemented a new bachelor program: The College of Pharmaceutical Sciences. A deliberate choice was made for a didactic approach of research-based, inquiry-based education in an authentic context throughout the whole curriculum. To further improve motivation of learning of students, autonomy and scaffolding were introduced. The first results show that the curriculum is successfully implemented and experienced positive by the students and teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Process simulation has become an essential tool for chemical engineers in education and industry. Various studies examining the teaching and learning of process simulation are available, although no clear theoretical frameworks for process simulation pedagogy currently exist. The work presented here describes a methodology for teaching process simulation that utilises video-enhanced and exploratory-based learning. The teaching approach is evaluated for a cohort of first year students, with the evaluation drawing on tutor observations, online survey responses and interviews with students. These data sources are used to explore the student experience and reveal that students engaged positively with the learning process. They also show that students benefitted from and valued the learning approaches used. Furthermore, interview responses were interrogated in detail using a thematic analysis, which revealed several key themes. The learning process is observed to occur in distinct phases, with each phase being underpinned by different learning modalities. An ‘early’ phase of learning is identified, which is supported by expository learning, whereas a ‘late’ phase of learning, also identified, is supported by a combination of discovery- and inquiry-based learning. A possible ‘future’ phase of learning is also described, where it is anticipated students could develop their process simulation skills further. These phases of learning are noted and observed to be linked with various stages of skill acquisition and cognition. The learning process is also supported by a range of factors, including student meta-cognition, motivation and knowledge development but hindered by a number of potential obstacles. Overall, the findings, supported by student quotations, provide a rich picture of how students can progress through successive levels of skill development in process simulation, forming a proposed learning model for process simulation pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how mobile inquiry-based learning (M-IBL) influenced students' learning motivation and achievement in accordance with motivational theory. It bridges a research gap by investigating the learning effectiveness of motivational design in M-IBL in a formal English as a Foreign Language (EFL) /L2 educational context. Two entire classes were recruited to participate in a six-week study. The experimental group undertook M-IBL that was embedded with motivational strategies (MSs) containing motivational elements of attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (ARCS). In contrast, the control group were provided with M-IBL without MSs. The results indicated that although there was no significant difference in learning achievement between the two groups, the students who received M-IBL instruction with motivational enhancement had significantly greater learning motivation than students who received M-IBL instruction without MSs. When analysing the components of the ARCS model separately, it was found that the students who participated in M-IBL with embedded ARCS MSs showed a significantly higher level of motivation in the dimension of ARCS-relevance, ARCS-confidence, and ARCS-satisfaction than those who participated in M-IBL without MSs. In light of this, instructional design suggestions that incorporate motivationally enhanced strategies for M-IBL in language learning contexts are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study provides a comprehensive picture of history teachers' conceptions of inquiry-based-learning (IBL), based on interviews with 22 secondary school teachers. The results indicate that, although most teachers' beliefs about the nature of history were conducive to teaching historical reasoning, their conceptions of IBL often remained limited to critically evaluating information, instead of using the available information to conduct inquiries into the past. Furthermore, teachers' conceptions of IBL appeared to be strongly connected to the context in which they worked. Based on these findings, several implications for supporting history teachers' adoption of IBL are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This collective case study describes instructional plans and observed inquiry-based instruction (IBI) in 16 undergraduate education teacher-preparation courses purposively sampled from instructors who said they did or did not take an IBI approach. Open coding and content analysis of interview transcripts, recordings of observed instruction, syllabi, and cross-case comparisons informed what was alike, different, and unique for IBI and non-IBI. We used negative cases, data triangulation, audit trail, and interrater reliability for 25% of the codes. IBI and non-IBI differed most in course-planning, student-learning assessment, co-construction of instruction, and the nature and quantity of teacher and student roles and talk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An innovative teaching methodology, which incorporates all the advantages offered separately by WebQuest (an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web), CLIL (Content Language Integrated Learning) and STSE (Science, Technology, Society and Environment) was developed to integrate real bioreactor experiments to produce ecological bioethanol with virtual bioreactor computer simulation. Thus, by means of this type of WebQuest, it is possible to connect STSE real laboratory sessions in a Spanish university with CLIL sessions in English in a virtual foreign laboratory through the Internet introducing students to the international scientific world. This teaching approach can be very helpful solving the common problem of limited time to conduct enough applied practical contents, it empowers independent work of students and it is technologically adapted to the times we live. The effectiveness of the implemented system was obtained by evaluation through direct experimentation, assessment (with a rubric for the laboratory session reports and a written test) and survey (through a questionnaire) with 40 undergraduate students. All these results show that students are more motivated and learn more following this kind of laboratory sessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article responds to calls for graduating teacher standards that reflect a vision of teachers as adaptive experts. Drawing on prospective teachers' reflections of their learning within a mathematics classroom inquiry course, we examine the development of expertise as characterized by shifts in teacher focus from self to student and from simple to increasingly complex understandings about teaching and learning. We argue that the instructional dynamics linked to practice-based pedagogies within our teacher education program, inclusive of opportunities to experiment, risk-take, and engage directly with learner outcomes, supported the development of prospective teachers' professional stance aligned to adaptive expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports of a research project with eleven schools for primary and secondary education in which teachers were involved in collaborative inquiry-based curriculum development for citizenship education. Its main purpose was to get a better grasp of teachers' understanding of citizenship education, what teachers consider the professionalism needed for citizenship education and how this professionalism could be encouraged. The results show an increase of teachers' awareness of citizenship education and its implicit presence in their practices. According to teachers enhancing pedagogical professionalism and practical wisdom with respect to teaching citizenship education takes time, room for experimenting, and the possibility to collaborate and exchange ideas among colleagues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students’ interpretations of school tasks that deviate from teachers’ intended assignments have seldom been the object of empirical analyses, though disregarding such interpretations can seriously hinder attempts to understand how students relate to assigned tasks. This study utilized the activity-theoretical concept of personal sense for disclosing students’ deviations from an inquiry-learning task extending over seven lessons in a Finnish primary school classroom. The study suggests a multi-layered conceptualization of disruptive and productive deviations from the assigned task. The conceptualization focuses on students’ connections to the broader contexts of the activities they inhabit and to the socio-emotional aspects of the task. The paper concludes with reflections about the pedagogical implications for supporting students to elaborate their personal sense of school tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inquiry-based learning, an effective instructional strategy, can be in the form of a problem or task for triggering student engagement. However, how to situate students in meaningful inquiry activities remains to be settled, especially for social studies courses. In this study, a contextual educational computer game is developed to improve students' learning performance based on an inquiry-based learning strategy. An experiment has been conducted on an elementary school social studies course to evaluate the effects of the proposed approach on the inquiry-based learning performances of students with different learning styles. The experimental results indicate that the proposed approach effectively enhanced the students' learning effects in terms of their learning achievement, learning motivation, satisfaction degree and flow state. Furthermore, it is also found that the proposed approach benefited the “active” learning style students more than the “reflective” style students in terms of learning achievement. This suggests the need to provide additional supports to students with particular learning styles in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research focuses on how experiences of learning with ICT in pedagogically meaningful ways can affect pre-service teachers' intentions to use ICT for teaching and learning. The research is based on the framework of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). It is a quasi-experimental design study with pre- and post-testing. The effects that a 12-week course using collaborative, inquiry based learning practices and several ICT applications have on four areas of pre-service teachers' TPB are investigated. The research was conducted using repeated measures t -tests and structure equation modelling (SEM). The results indicate that there were no differences in pre-service teachers' attitudes and behavioural intentions towards the use of ICT for teaching and learning. Statistically significant changes were found in pre-service teachers' self-efficacy and subjective norms concerning the use of ICT for teaching and learning. Also, differences between pre- and post-testing were found in the relationship between subjective norms and self-efficacy and other areas of TPB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inquiry-based learning is gaining popularity in science curricula, international research and development projects as well as teaching. One of the underlying reasons is that its success can be significantly improved due to the recent technical developments that allow the inquiry process to be supported by electronic learning environments. Inquiry-based learning is often organized into inquiry phases that together form an inquiry cycle. However, different variations on what is called the inquiry cycle can be found throughout the literature. The current article focuses on identifying and summarizing the core features of inquiry-based learning by means of a systematic literature review and develops a synthesized inquiry cycle that combines the strengths of existing inquiry-based learning frameworks. The review was conducted using the EBSCO host Library; a total of 32 articles describing inquiry phases or whole inquiry cycles were selected based on specific search criteria. An analysis of the articles resulted in the identification of five distinct general inquiry phases: Orientation, Conceptualization, Investigation, Conclusion, and Discussion. Some of these phases are divided into sub-phases. In particular, the Conceptualization phase is divided into two (alternative) sub-phases, Questioning and Hypothesis Generation; the Investigation phase is divided into three sub-phases, Exploration or Experimentation leading to Data Interpretation; and the Discussion phase is divided into two sub-phases, Reflection and Communication. No framework bringing together all of these phases and sub-phases was found in the literature. Thus, a synthesized framework was developed to describe an inquiry cycle in which all of these phases and sub-phases would be present. In this framework, inquiry-based learning begins with Orientation and flows through Conceptualization to Investigation, where several cycles are possible. Inquiry-based learning usually ends with the Conclusion phase. The Discussion phase (which includes Communication and Reflection) is potentially present at every point during inquiry-based learning and connects to all the other phases, because it can occur at any time during (discussion in-action) or after inquiry-based learning when looking back (discussion on-action). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]