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Inquiry-based teaching is the most widespread approach in science education worldwide. However, in Peru, this model became better known since the latest curriculum reform in 2016, which proposed implementing that teaching approach at all levels of schooling. Since then, no literature review has been conducted on the status quo of implementing inquiry-based science teaching. Therefore, the present study contributes to bridging the gap. This study aims to review and analyse the main characteristics and findings of earlier studies in Peru from 2016 to 2022. The methodology used in this systematic review was informed by the PRISMA statement. Thus, of a sample of 629 studies, sixteen were selected for the integrative analysis. The results were presented considering the main characteristics of papers and their main findings. Each category was discussed in light of the reviewed papers' findings, and the discussion and conclusions suggest recommendations for future research in Peruvian settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the design of a teaching sequence on the structure of matter and chemical reactivity in the laboratory following the approach of teaching science through scientific practices, in particular through scientific inquiry. Special emphasis is placed on the use of epistemic knowledge involved in this scientific practice to ensure that students learn Chemistry in a meaningful way that is consistent with how scientific knowledge is developed, and on the development of critical thinking. The sequence is designed to be implemented in the subject Physics and Chemistry for 8th graders (13-14 years old) and for students working in small groups. The implementation of this sequence in two classes suggests that using epistemic knowledge is complex for students and it is appreciated only when it is explicitly promoted through questions inserted in the handouts of the activities or prompted by the teacher through her interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology integration in educational settings has led to the development of novel sensor-based tools that enable students to measure and interact with their environment. Although reports from using such tools can be positive, evaluations are often conducted under controlled conditions and short timeframes. There is a need for longitudinal data collected in realistic classroom settings. However, sustained and authentic classroom use requires technology platforms to be seen by teachers as both easy to use and of value. We describe our development of a sensor-based platform to support science teaching that followed a 14-month design process. We share insights from this design and development approach, and report findings from a six-month large-scale evaluation involving 35 schools and 1245 students. We share lessons learnt, including that technology integration is not an educational goal per se and that technology should be a transparent tool to enable students to achieve their learning goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Education, Technology & Society (BRAJETS) / Cadernos de Educação Tecnologia e Sociedade (CETS) is the property of Brazilian Journal of Education, Technology & Society - BRAJETS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of RIED: Revista Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia is the property of Revista Iberoamericana de Educacion a Distancia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Knowledge of scientific inquiry (SI) is considered essential to the development of an individual's Scientific Literacy (SL) and therefore, SI is included in many international science education reform documents. Two previous large scale international studies assessed the SI understandings of students entering middle school and secondary students at the end of their formal K-12 science education. The purpose of this international project was to use the VASI-E to collect data on what primary level students have learned about SI in their first few years of school. This study adds to previous research to bridge the landscape of SI understandings now with representation from primary, middle and high school samples. A total of 4,238 students from 35 countries/regions spanning six continents participated in the study. The results show that globally, primary students are not adequately informed about SI for their age group. However, when compared with the students in the previous international studies (grades seven and 12), the primary students' understandings were surprisingly closer to the levels of understanding of SI of the secondary school students than those in the seventh grade study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to examine the articles published on scientific inquiry in the Web of Science (WoS) database in terms of bibliometric indicators. The sample of the research using the bibliometric analysis technique consists of 926 studies in the type of article searched with the word "Scientific inquiry". MS Excel and VOSviewer programs were used to analyze the data. The data obtained from this analysis are presented with tables and bibliometric maps. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that most articles on scientific inquiry were published in 2020. It has been determined that the most frequently used keyword in scientific inquiry is "scientific inquiry". It has been concluded that the most effective journal in scientific inquiry is "Science Education". In addition, it has been determined that "English" comes to the fore as a language in studies conducted on scientific inquiry and that the "USA" as a country works actively in scientific inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we aimed to characterize students' inquiry skill profiles and investigate whether students' gender, major, school location and type, and household registration are related to their inquiry skill profiles. By providing an animation‐based activity, we engaged students in a scientific inquiry on the atmospheric chemistry of climate change. Students performed data analytics, control of variables, and scientific reasoning tasks, which represented essential skills in the inquiry process. After removing the invalid data and conducting the two‐stage stratified sampling, we analyzed 724 11th‐grade Chinese students' multiple‐choice and open‐ended responses. A latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify if there were subgroups of students' inquiry skills. χ2 tests were conducted to examine whether the profiles' distribution differed in gender, major, school location, school type, and household registration. We identified four types of inquiry skill profiles among students: sophisticated, experimental, moderate, and basic, based on their skills in data analytics, scientific reasoning, and control of variables. The findings showed that school location significantly affected students' inquiry profiles, while school type, student major, and hukou had a mildly favorable impact. To sum up, the marriage of the LPA approach and the animation‐based activity has illuminated not just students' different inquiry skill profiles but also the relationships these profiles have with certain demographic factors. We discussed that it is imperative to recognize these varied inquiry skill profiles and work to bridge the disparities stemming from demographic differences for a more equitable science education environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Definitions of modeling competence in science education do not yet include noncognitive factors. However, noncognitive factors are central to competence and might thus substantially improve our understanding of modeling competence. In this article, we analyze volition during preservice science teachers' engagement with a black‐box modeling task and its relation to established aspects of modeling competence: metamodeling knowledge, modeling process, and modeling product. A cluster analysis of the occurrence of volition categories resulted in three clusters of volitional behavior. The clusters describe three different volition types: one action‐oriented type applying a self‐regulative strategy and two state‐oriented types applying self‐controlling strategies. Correlation analyses between clusters, volition categories and modeling process variables indicate benefits of the self‐regulative strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As science education shifts toward integrated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) approaches, guidelines for designing teaching and learning episodes that integrate curricular content and procedures from multiple disciplines become increasingly in demand. The existing plethora of conceptualizations of STEM makes difficult such an endeavor, leading to ill-defined lesson plans focused on only two –mainly science and technology or science and mathematics– out of the four STEM disciplines. The question addressed, therefore, is how the integrated STEM approach could be translated into classroom practices that integrate the four STEM disciplines in a way that is consistent and coherent with elementary education curricula. This manuscript advances a theoretically informed didactic model for the design and implementation of integrated STEM in elementary education. The article discusses how the model uses socio-constructivist principles to establish intentional and explicit connections between STEM disciplines via scientific inquiry, engineering design, and computational thinking practices. The model is rooted in learning theories developed by Piaget, Vygotsky, Ausubel, and Bruner and could serve as a roadmap for educators and researchers designing integrated STEM lessons. Future empirical research testing the model is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Writing lab reports in the context of inquiry-based learning or experimentation offers the potential to link subject-specific learning with language learning in science subjects. However, studies show that writing experimental protocols poses significant challenges for all students, but especially for those with German as a second language. A key to understanding these challenges are the cognitive processes that are involved during writing. This exploratory case study uses the think-aloud method to elucidate the cognitive sub-processes (specified in Hayes’ writing process model) of five students during their writing of lab reports. The findings provide the ground for a discussion on the development of appropriate learning environments and support tools for successful language-sensitive science education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Science education researchers and curriculum documents have advocated scientific inquiry for more than six decades; however, inconsistent findings concerning its effects on students' learning outcomes have been revealed in recent analyses of large‐scale international assessment data (e.g., the Programme for International Student Assessment [PISA]). This has evoked considerable concern given the significant role that inquiry plays in science education. To unpack the complex influence of inquiry on science achievement, this study used the PISA 2015 data from eight Western or East Asian regions to explore the effects of inquiry on students' science achievement and the mediation of attitudes toward science. The results indicated that despite the negative effects that the investigation aspect of inquiry had on science achievement, the explanation aspect of inquiry had positive effects on science achievement for the Western, East Asian, and whole samples. When all of the effects of both the investigation and explanation aspects were integrated, the overall influence of inquiry on students' science achievement was found to be positive for the whole and East Asian samples and slightly negative for the Western sample. This study highlights the necessity of considering different facets of inquiry and different types of effects when investigating the effects of inquiry on science achievement and achieving a better balance between the investigation and explanation processes when implementing inquiry in school classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Science learning assessment has always been challenging for science middle school teachers, especially when assessing students' scientific inquiry skills, which are essential to the science learning process. The study aims to highlight the challenges teachers confront when assessing high school pupils' capacity for scientific inquiry. It is a qualitative phenomenological study using thematic analysis techniques. Five middle school science teachers from junior high schools in Central Java participated in this study. Utilizing interviewing approaches, data was gathered. Using Clark & Braun's thematic analysis methodologies, data analysis is carried out in four steps: (1) identifying the data, (2) performing coding, (3) creating themes, and (4) reviewing and defining the themes. This study shows that both internal and external factors might affect teachers' ability to undertake scientific inquiry research. The issue of obstacles teachers confront from the perspectives of students and learning systems is summarized by external variables. The researchers advised science teachers to engage in active, ongoing competence development to help them overcome challenges in evaluating scientific inquiries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces a flexible and easy-to-implement open-ended scientific inquiry activity called the Paper Towels Challenge. After experimentally determining which of three unbranded paper towels is the most absorbent, students discuss their results and methods. The teacher facilitates the discussion of epistemological issues. This activity can be used regardless of the participants' age or country to promote science understanding, NGSS science and engineering practices, and twenty-first century skills, such as critical thinking and communication. The many uses, benefits, and possible adaptations of the activity are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intervention study presented in this paper explored pre-service science teachers' (PSSTs) understanding of scientific inquiry (SI) and scientific practices (SPs) during a laboratory application in science education course. Thirty-nine secondary school PSSTs, who study in the Science Education Department in a public university in Turkey, enrolled in a 14-week-long course and volunteered to participate in the study. The participants were exposed to a method is called the 4-phase implementation that includes laboratory-based inquiry activities addressing SI and SPs and they completed microteaching presentations. Their understanding of SI and SPs was examined through the course period. The main data sources included Views about Scientific Inquiry (VASI) Instrument and concept maps were used to track the changes in these understandings. The findings indicated that PSSTs had inadequate understanding of inquiry on some aspects even after the treatment. Yet, the method had positive impact in PSSTs' understanding inquiry especially in terms of facilitating the comprehension that scientific investigations begin with questions, there is no single method in investigations, and explanations are derived from collected data. The concept maps created by some of the participants also supported these results and revealed a more coherent and holistic understanding of SPs by integrating both epistemic and social components into their maps. However, PSSTs did not seem to have totally understood other aspects of inquiry including the inquiry procedures, the research conclusions, and the difference between data and evidence. Further implications are critically discussed in terms of designing future laboratory applications for science education courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research was carried out in the higher educational field and seeks to demonstrate the relationship between Suchman methodological strategies and the mastery of scientific inquiry skills in students of a public university organization in Lima. It was oriented with the positivist paradigm, quantitative approach, basic type, descriptive level and non-experimental, linear correlational design. The sample, chosen intentionally and non-probabilistically, was made up of 55 students of the VIII and X academic semesters of the Faculty of Education, specialty: Primary, subject: Natural Sciences. The instruments are valid and reliable (0.979 and 0.83, respectively). The results report the existence of a positive and significant relationship between both variables, so the problem statement, hypothesis formulation, data collection, hypothesis evaluation and conclusions are related to the domain of scientific inquiry. It is concluded that university students are acquiring deficient teacher training to teach science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

While helping students develop informed views about nature of scientific inquiry (VNOSI) has been emphasised in science education, little is known regarding students' current VNOSI at a certain grade level and whether there was evidence of higher attainment of VNOSI in students in higher grades as compared to lower grades? The purpose of this study was to answer these questions. This study was conducted in China, Hebei province, with a medium level of economic, social, and educational development. Data collection consisted of questionnaire survey and structured-interview. Participants were 212 students (82 males, 130 females) at five grade levels and from four types of locations. The results were: (a) No matter which grade levels students were in, most of them had not developed informed VNOSI. (b) According to Fisher exact tests, in six aspects of nature of scientific inquiry (NOSI), students in higher grades had higher attainment as compared to lower grades; and in two aspects of NOSI, students in higher grades did not have higher attainment as compared to lower grades. In order to explain these research results, three possible reasons were explored; For the purpose of promoting the development of students' VNOSI, three implications were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preschool children have the capacity to engage in scientific practices and inquiry and develop understanding at a conceptual level. While engaging in inquiry with preschool students, teachers transition from being transmitters of knowledge to facilitators in the educational process as students take on an active role in this learner-centered approach. Although studies have explored how preschool students can engage in inquiry-based science, there is a dearth of research on what teachers need to do to ensure their students are engaging in meaningful, inquiry-based science. Considering the nature of preschool students' play—curious exploration throughout the day—this study sought to review the literature on preschool scientific inquiry and report on significant themes. The purpose of this paper is to develop a research-based framework for inquiry-based science exploration in preschool settings that cuts across specific interventions, science concepts, or activities to provide teachers with strategies to build and sustain a culture of inquiry that permeates all aspects of their preschool program. To create this framework, 15 studies were analyzed, and five major themes were uncovered regarding how teachers engaged students in inquiry. With students' curiosity, wonderings, and interests as an essential starting point, the framework outlines these five themes as teacher strategies to support scientific inquiry in preschool. These strategies, rather than implemented in isolation, blend together to assist teachers in transforming play and teacher-initiated or child-initiated activities into rigorous learning and support the creation of a culture of inquiry that is part of their classroom environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observation serves as a cornerstone of scientific inquiry, particularly in science education. However, microscopy classes, essential for fostering observational skills, often face limited equipment access and technical difficulties. Such challenges can influence students’ academic emotions, which play a crucial role in learning. In response to these issues, this study investigates the integration of smartphones with microscopes using lens adapters as a cost-effective solution to enhance students’ learning experiences. Employing a quasi-experimental mixed-methods explanatory design, the research examines the impact of smartphone integration in microscopy classes on academic emotions and their connection to learning outcomes. The findings indicate that smartphone use can reduce negative academic emotions, alleviating challenges associated with traditional microscopy classes. Moreover, the study identifies a correlation between negative academic emotions and learning outcomes, revealing potential factors that may influence this relationship. These findings enrich theoretical understanding of academic emotions and offer practical insights for educators seeking to foster engaging and effective learning environments in microscopy classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific inquiry is a central area of competence in Chemistry education. The structure of scientific inquiry is at the core of it. If students are to reflect about their scientific inquiries, they need to have methodological knowledge about the different steps of scientific inquiry. Studies indicate that such knowledge should be taught explicitly in the classroom. The concept at hand explains the role of each step of scientific inquiry, it describes the characteristics of each step (methodological knowledge) and it applies these characteristics to a specific experiment from the curriculum using a check list. This underlines the strong connection between scientific ways of thinking and scientific methods. As such, it is the first concept to coherently present instructional material for students age 11–15, that focusses on methodological knowledge about scientific inquiry as learning objective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past forty years, science has been gradually relegated to technology and utilitarian knowledge. To avoid forgetting what science truly is, it is paramount to train students to discern the difference between scientific knowledge and technological progress. Catholic education possesses the necessary tools to achieve such a goal and to give back, to science, its rightful place in human knowledge as a mystical instrument that can demonstrate the logic in the existence of a Creator beyond creation and enable humanity to climb the mountain of truth. The starting point of this ascent is to use scientific approaches to unravel the laws that govern the natural world. At the top of the mountain, the climber will contemplate the hidden mysteries of the Creator and His creation. In this paper, the development of science, from a united body of knowledge to a compartmentalized ensemble of different disciplines, will be presented. The difference between science as liberal knowledge and technology as utilitarian knowledge will also be discussed, and the fundamental role that Catholic education has to play in the restoration of scientific knowledge, as a liberal endeavour of the human mind, will be considered. The necessity of using the dialogue between faith and reason as a tool to train students in understanding the essence of scientific pursuit will be presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incorporation of the scientific inquiry in rural science classrooms brings up important challenges for the teachers leading them. This current paper analyzes the importance of the teacher's role in a scientific inquiry activity. Therefore, an analysis was carried out in the case of the Mitigation of the whitefly in the ficus tree. This inquiring experience was applied with 22 sixth to eighth grade elementary students from a vulnerable rural school in Chile. The main results support that the students' learning through inquiry demands a guidance and an adequate support offered by the teacher. Besides, the case study shows how the inquiry-based science education can emerge from deprived rural contexts through inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses data from the Swedish sample of the international VASI (Views about scientific inquiry) study (Lederman et al. [2019]. An international collaborative investigation of beginning seventh grade students' understandings of scientific inquiry: Establishing a baseline. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. Published online. ). Understandings about scientific inquiry involve knowledge about the processes of inquiry, and are not the same as being able to do inquiry although these are related domains. This paper focuses on what students know about scientific inquiry and what impact school science may have on this knowledge. Data were collected using the VASI instrument developed previously and was administered to 126 students at the beginning of year seven and 145 students at the end of year 12 in a cross-sectional design. Results indicate that the majority of students do not have an informed understanding of key aspects of scientific inquiry in either grade. Although students in year 12 are more informed, the average is still less than 50% as measured by the VASI and with a large spread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific literacy is the primary goal of elementary science education. Scientific literacy requires an overall understanding of what science is, and how and why scientific knowledge is developed. The normal assumption is that as students progress in school, they learn more. One would expect students to become more scientifically literate as they progress in school. There is very little empirical evidence, however, suggesting that students become more scientifically literate as they move through school. The purpose of this study was to see if elementary students' understandings of science, scientists and how scientists do their work differed throughout elementary school. The study draws on a sample of 338 students from 18 different classrooms situated in and around a large US city. This study assesses students' views of science and scientists as well as their understandings of aspects of scientific inquiry (SI) and the nature of science (NOS) that elementary students are able to understand. Overall findings illustrate students' understandings of science, scientists and how they do their work did not significantly change from grade one to grade five. This study can serve as a springboard for suggestions concerning scientific literacy research in the primary grades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the effect teachers' participation in a targeted inquiry-based/nature of science (NoS) continuing professional development programme had on Irish primary children's experiences of scientific inquiry and developing conceptions of NoS. Data were gathered from 459 children from 10 Dublin schools. The findings revealed that their teachers' engagement with the targeted professional development programme had positive effects on the children's experiences of scientific inquiry and on their developing NoS conceptions. It was apparent that professional development methodologies were effectively implemented throughout the school year. which led to a significant increase in these children's engagement with more child-led inquiry-based approaches and a significant decrease in engagement with more teacher-led methodologies. Furthermore, engagement with the professional development methodologies resulted in the children developing more elaborate conceptions regarding 'general aspects' of NoS. The findings are significant in that that they add to the growing body of literature that asserts that pedagogy regarding 'general aspects' of NoS is an appropriate starting point in supporting the development of young children's NoS conceptions. Furthermore, engagement with the programme methodologies during school science enabled the children to make sense of science in their everyday lives. Science education policy documents worldwide highlight the importance of scientific literacy and suggest that if students are to become scientifically literate it is essential that they develop their understanding about the processes of science and the type of knowledge science produces and have the ability to apply this scientific knowledge in every day contexts. The findings in this study are significant in that it is apparent that engagement with inquiry-based and NoS pedagogies appeared to have been a very good starting point in supporting the development of these young children's scientific literacy skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the importance of cultivating scientific literate societies, the integration of scientific inquiry into school curriculum is key to contemporary science education. It is apparent that textbooks have been an accessible source of science information for teachers and students since the growth of public K-12 schooling worldwide. Textbooks are crucial for understanding the basis of science curriculum, since many science teachers design their courses according to textbook content. This study aimed to determine whether the activities (both experiments and student activities) in Turkish biology textbooks reflect contemporary inquiry-based approaches. To this end, the sample of the study was composed of four biology textbooks approved by the Turkish Ministry of National Education (MoNE) for grades 9–12. Analysis of these textbooks was conducted using the Inquiry-Based Tasks Analysis Inventory (ITAI). The overall findings indicate that activities in textbooks were mostly compatible with the established curriculum, but they were insufficiently designed to prepare students to do inquiry or to understand what scientific inquiry is. Results demonstrated that these textbooks' most considered ITAI dimension was Construction of Understandings about Scientific Concepts, while the least frequently explored dimension was Understandings about Scientific Inquiry. Additionally, in the Expected skills dimension, observing and inferring were the most frequently used skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research it is aimed to examine the effects of STEM-based activities on pre-service primary school teachers' scientific inquiry skills, conducted in a science education course of third year undergraduate students. A mixed research method, combining pretest posttest single group design and semi-structured interviews guided the study. Participants of the study consist of 47 pre-service primary school teachers in a state university. The activities implemented with third grade pre-service primary school teachers for ten weeks/thirty course hours. "Views About Scientific Inquiry" scale which was developed and translated into Turkish was used as data collection tool. Based on the eight aspects of science standards, a STEM activity plan was created for each of these dimensions in terms of science, mathematics, engineering and technology achievements. Test as pre and post-test are analyzed statically and for the normally distributed data of VASI, the dependent samples t-test was applied. The dependent sample t-test was used to determine whether there was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores after the scientific method-based STEM applications. Semi-structured interviews were performed to support quantitative data and analyzed descriptively. Results of the study showed that at the beginning of the research, the scientific inquiry skills and views of the preservice primary teachers were inadequate. Additionally, there is a significant difference on scientific inquiry skills and views of the study group, participating in the STEM-based science activities, after STEM applications and activities within the course. It can be concluded that STEM based activities enhance scientific inquiry understandings and skills of pre-service primary school teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Studies - Educational Sciences is the property of Electronic Turkish Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study is aimed at examining science teachers' views of argument in scientific inquiry and argument-based science instruction. Questionnaires were collected from 53 middle and high school science teachers in the metropolitan area of the Republic of Korea. More than half of these respondents seemed to have a clear understanding of argument in scientific inquiry defining argument as the "discussion of scientific facts and data." Although most teachers seemed to understand the relationship between argument and scientific inquiry, a relatively small number of teachers identified laboratory experiments for a topic of argument-based science instruction. While more than half of these teachers simply viewed "deriving and coordinating various ideas" as a role of argument in science class, some teachers perceived "promoting student learning" as a role of argument including "expanding student thinking," "experiencing of scientific knowledge construction," and "learning scientific knowledge." Of the 13 teachers who had implemented argument-based science classes, nine stated benefits of argument in science class such as "student solving problems on their own," "student sharing ideas and considering various perspectives," "student thinking improvement," "high class participation," and "high student interest." Most of these respondents commented on the difficulties and challenges in implementing argument-based science instruction such as a lack of time and student argument ability. Teachers who did not implement argument-based science instruction gave reasons related to teachers themselves (lack of experience, understanding, and teaching skills), students (lack of experience, knowledge, and willingness to participation), and the learning environment (lack of class time, entrance exam–oriented class, and number of students). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the nature of science and scientific inquiry constitute foundation stones in scientific education in general and in scientific literacy in particular. Therefore, students must develop informed perceptions regarding science inquiry in order to be scientifically literate. The current study's purpose was to examine students' perceptions regarding science inquiry (SI). This would provide deep description of students' naïve and informed perceptions of SI, and also locate flawed thinking patterns regarding SI. The unique contribution of the research is expressed in both mapping the concepts about knowledge of scientific research in Israel and extracting and naming the concepts that the students have. The research population included 446 students in grades 7–8. This research chose a quantitative research approach. The study used a questionnaire called VASI (Views About Science Inquiry). This is a research questionnaire intended to diagnose students' perceptions regarding science inquiry. The study's findings indicate that most of the students do not develop informed understanding regarding the aspects of science inquiry. The aspects about which the students' have the most informed responses among the students are that the question motivates the inquiry and that the study's conclusions should match the data collected. The conclusion arising from the findings is that the students lack scientific perceptions regarding a significant proportion of the aspects of science inquiry, which raises the great importance of focused instruction of the aspects of science inquiry in class. Therefore, perhaps training teachers professionally to teach science inquiry directly in the classroom may develop the student's' scientific perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understandings of the nature of scientific inquiry (NOSI), as opposed to engaging students in inquiry learning experiences, are included in science education reform documents around the world. However, little is known about what students have learned about NOSI during their pre-college school years. The purpose of this large-scale follow-up international project (i.e. 32 countries and regions, spanning six continents and including 3917 students for the high school sample) was to collect data on what exiting high school students have learned about NOSI. Additionally, the study investigated changes in 12th grade students' NOSI understandings compared to seventh grade (i.e. 20 countries and regions) students' understandings from a prior investigation [Lederman et al. (2019). An international collaborative investigation of beginning seventh grade students' understandings of scientific inquiry: Establishing a baseline. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 56(4), 486–515. ]. This study documents and discusses graduating high school students' understandings and compares their understandings to seventh grade students' understandings of the same aspects of scientific inquiry for each country. It is important to note that collecting data from each of the 130+ countries globally was not feasible. Similarly, it was not possible to collect data from every region of each country. A concerted effort was made, however, to provide a relatively representative picture of each country and the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Situated in the context of teacher education reform which vehemently emphasises inquiry-based science education, this study examined the conceptualisations and enactment of inquiry-based science education by a group of four pre-service teachers enrolled in a teacher professional development programme in India, using mixed-method research design. This study elucidates the tapestry of PSTs growth as inquiry-oriented science teachers during the field internship period. Several factors that are teacher-related, student-related, and classroom-related were identified in influencing pre-service teachers' conceptualisation and enactment of scientific inquiry. It is advocated that to translate teacher education reform rhetoric to classroom practices, it is essential to develop a culture of inquiry in schools. Implications for pre-service teacher education programme are drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nature of scientific inquiry is a concept associated with the nature of science and is an important product of inquiry-based teaching. Inquiry-based teaching is an important method proposed in science education all over the world. The aim of this study is to determine the pre-service science teacher's views about nature of scientific inquiry. As a data collection tool, The Views about Scientific Inquiry (VASI) questionnaire which developed by Lederman et al. (2014) was used. The questionnaire was translated in to Turkish by the researchers, and experts were assisted by their opinions and arrangements. The pilot data of the study were obtained with the participation of 56 pre-service teachers in the mathematics teacher program and 252 pre-service science teachers participate to get the main data. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 pre-service teachers. The results of the data variety are used to confirm the analysis of each other. In the analysis of the data, the participant's views are coded as uncategorized, naive, mixed, and informed. The results are presented as frequency and percentage. The data were evaluated by comparing with the pre-service teachers' grade levels. It was determined that the views of pre-service teachers about nature of scientific inquiry were not sufficient, but they were informed in terms of some aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores students' ability to analyse and interpret empirical data as inadequate data analysis skills and understandings may contribute to the renowned disappointing outcomes of practical work in secondary school physics. Selected competences, derived from a collection of leading curricula, are explored through interviews and practical tasks, each consisting of three probes. The 51 students, aged 15 and commencing post-compulsory science education in the Netherlands, were able to carry out basic skills such as collecting data and representing these. In interpreting the data in terms of the investigated phenomenon or situation however, performance was weak. Students often appeared to be unable to identify the crucial features of a given graph. Conclusions based on the data were often tautological or superficial, lacking salient features. Students failed to infer implications from the data, to interpret data at a higher level of abstraction, or to specify limitations to the validity of the analysis or conclusions. The findings imply that the students' understanding of data-analysis should be developed further before they can engage successfully in more 'open' practical work. The study offers a collection of activities that may help to address the situation, suggesting a baseline for guided development of data analysis abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As inquiry-based instruction is not universally implemented in science classrooms, it is crucial to introduce instructional strategies through the use of contextualized learning activities to allow students with different background knowledge and abilities to learn the essential competencies of scientific inquiry and promote their emotional perception and engagement. Purpose: This study explores how essential scientific competencies of inquiry can be integrated into classroom teaching practices and investigates both typical and gifted secondary students' emotional perception and engagement in learning activities. Sample: A case teacher along with 226 typical and 18 gifted students from a suburban secondary school at Taiwan participated in this study. Design and methods: After attending twelve 3-hour professional development workshops that focused on scientific inquiry teaching, the case teacher voluntarily developed and elaborated her own teaching activities through the discussions and feedback that she received from workshop participants and science educators. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through activity worksheet, questionnaire, video camera, and tape recorders. Frequency distribution, Mann-Whitney U test, and discourse analysis were used for data analyses. Results: Case teacher's teaching activities provide contextual investigations that allow students to practice making hypotheses, planning investigations, and presenting and evaluating findings. Students' learning outcomes reveal that typical students can engage in inquiry-based learning with positive emotional perception as well as gifted students regardless of their ability level. Both gifted and typical students' positive emotional perception of and active engagement in learning provide fresh insight into feasible instructions for teachers who are interested in inquiry-based teaching but have little available time to implement such instructions into their classrooms. Conclusions: The results of our work begin to address the critical issues of inquiry-based teaching by providing an exemplary teaching unit encompassing essential scientific competencies [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed 2008–2017 articles in primary science education journals to explore the features and trends of teaching strategies for scientific practices. Five criteria were used to select the articles: (1) emphasizing inquiry teaching in either the theoretical framework or the findings section, (2) incorporating teaching strategies into inquiry teaching or professional development, (3) selecting science as subject matter, (4) being empirical research, and (5) not including special needs or ESL (English as Second Language) students as participants. Based on the above criteria, 310 articles were selected for further coding in the dimensions of teaching strategies and teaching goals. The teaching goals for the usage of the teaching strategies for scientific practices include affective, epistemic and sociocultural goals. Two categories of teaching strategies were coded for scientific practices including student-centered and teacher-centered strategies. The results showed that student-centered teaching strategies were adopted more than teacher-centered strategies; and experimenting, discussing, and a combination of experimenting and discussing were the most used teaching strategies, which were mostly used to achieve the cognitive and affective teaching goals. This was an increasing trend over the past 10 years. Moreover, teaching strategies for scientific practice have large, positive effects on the cognitive aspect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For years, inquiry-based learning has been conceived of and promoted as one of the best approaches to learning science. However, there is currently a movement within the science education community that suggests promoting science learning based on scientific practices, instead of inquiry, because in this way, science learning would be more coherent with the enterprise that is science. But, are there well-founded reasons to work towards this shift, or is it just a new terminology with which to refer to inquiry? In order to respond to this question, firstly, the main arguments which support science education based on scientific practices are presented. Secondly, an analysis is made in order to determine the extent to which the approach based on scientific practices is innovative with respect to the inquiry approach. Thirdly, nature of the inquiry and scientific practice constructs is analyzed. All of this is done from a critical and reflective view. Finally, some reflections and suggestions are made in relation to practice-based science education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Creativity is often viewed as a fundamental educational capability. Science can play a role in nurturing creativity. Research suggests that creative pedagogy, including interdisciplinary teaching , can engage students with science. Previous studies into teachers' attitudes to science and creativity have been largely situated within national educational contexts. Purpose: This study explores educators' perspectives on the relationship between Science and Creativity across national contexts drawn from Europe and beyond. Sample and Methods: A convenience sample of 270 educators, recruited by project partners and via online media, and broadly defined to include teachers, trainee teachers, informal educators and teacher educators, responded to an online survey designed to explore perceptions of the relationship between science and creativity. Exploratory factor analysis of Likert question responses was used to develop a combined attitude scale, with results compared across nationalities and phases of education. Open question responses were analysed thematically to allow nuanced interpretation of the descriptive statistical findings. Results: The findings show broad agreement internationally that science is a creative endeavour, with a small number of educators disagreeing about the relationship between science and creativity in the context of school science. Those who disagreed were usually secondary science teachers, from England, Malta or outside Europe (primarily from the United States). The role of scientific knowledge within creativity in science education was found to be contentious. Conclusions: That educators broadly see science as creative is unsurprising, but initial exploration of educators' perspectives internationally reveals some differences, particularly amongst educators working in formal education, relating to the role of knowledge with respect to creativity in science. With current interest in STEAM education, further investigation to understand potential mediating factors of national educational contexts on teachers' perspectives with respect to the role of disciplinary knowledge(s) in creativity and their interaction in interdisciplinary teaching and learning, is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing scientific reasoning (SR) is a central goal of science-teacher education worldwide. On a fine-grained level, SR competency can be subdivided into at least six skills: formulating research questions, generating hypotheses, planning experiments, observing and measuring, preparing data for analysis, and drawing conclusions. In a study focusing on preservice chemistry teachers, an organic chemistry lab course was redesigned using problem-solving experiments and SR video lessons to foster SR skills. To evaluate the intervention, a self-assessment questionnaire was developed, and a performance-based instrument involving an experimental problem-solving task was adapted to the target group of undergraduates. The treatment was evaluated in a pre-post design with control group (cook-book experiments, no SR video lessons) and alternative treatment group (problem-solving experiments, unrelated video lessons). Interrater reliability was excellent (ρ from 0.915 to 1.000; ICC (A1)). Data analysis shows that the adapted instrument is suitable for university students. First insights from the pilot study indicate that the cook-book lab (control group) only fosters students’ skill in observing and measuring, while both treatment groups show an increase in generating hypotheses and planning experiments. No pretest-posttest differences were found in self-assessed SR skills in the treatment groups. Instruments and data are presented and discussed.

Abstract This article presents a qualitative study, with a descriptive and interpretative nature, of the abilities of prospective elementary teachers (PETs) to solve a contextualized problem of physics through a process of guided inquiry. Specifically, an analysis was made of the PETs' abilities to (a) formulate hypotheses; (b) plan inquiry procedures aimed at testing hypotheses; and (c) draw conclusions from the inquiry (i.e., interpret experimental data to accept or reject their hypotheses, and recognize the limitations of the inquiry that they had conducted). The study participants were 17 PETs who were receiving training in science teaching. They were organized into small groups to solve the physics problem proposed to them. The study's data were extracted from the inquiry reports that the groups prepared by following a script with open-ended questions. The results revealed the PETs' strengths and weaknesses in addressing the different scientific practices that had been required in the process, as well as showing that they all had achieved some improvement in their inquiry abilities after completing the activity. A discussion of the results is given with a view to improving the training of PETs in inquiry-based science learning.

Inquiry-based instruction (IBI) is widely renowned as one of the best approaches to teaching school science. Nonetheless, while science teachers in Tanzania might involve in teaching activities consistent with inquiry, IBI is not yet recognised as a formal approach to teaching science. Hence, this study investigated the extent to which IBI is promoted in Tanzanian secondary science curriculum documents. Additionally, it proposed suggestions on how to adopt IBI in the context of Tanzania. Using document analysis as a method of inquiry, six syllabi for secondary school science subjects in Tanzania were analysed to assess the extent to which they support the IBI practice. Further, curriculum documents for secondary school science from South Africa and the United States were also analysed. This was done to compare between education systems that have recognised IBI as a formal approach to teaching science with that of Tanzania. Results indicated that while teaching methods, goals and objectives of education support the practice of IBI, a few aspects such as the time allocated and resources suggested for accomplishing investigative learning activities are the barriers to practising IBI. By reflecting on these results and lessons learned from the US and South Africa, the study provides recommendations such as allocating enough time for carrying out scientific investigations, changing teachers' beliefs, revision of some learning objectives, and promoting teacher professional development in case Tanzania wishes to adopt IBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a qualitative study, with a descriptive and interpretative nature, of the abilities of prospective elementary teachers (PETs) to solve a contextualized problem of physics through a process of guided inquiry. Specifically, an analysis was made of the PETs' abilities to (a) formulate hypotheses; (b) plan inquiry procedures aimed at testing hypotheses; and (c) draw conclusions from the inquiry (i.e., interpret experimental data to accept or reject their hypotheses, and recognize the limitations of the inquiry that they had conducted). The study participants were 17 PETs who were receiving training in science teaching. They were organized into small groups to solve the physics problem proposed to them. The study's data were extracted from the inquiry reports that the groups prepared by following a script with open-ended questions. The results revealed the PETs' strengths and weaknesses in addressing the different scientific practices that had been required in the process, as well as showing that they all had achieved some improvement in their inquiry abilities after completing the activity. A discussion of the results is given with a view to improving the training of PETs in inquiry-based science learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene is a novel material with extraordinary promise in various nano-based applications, including increases in strength, conductivity, filtration, and electrical capacity. Graphene can be synthesized and tested in a wide variety of applications in secondary or undergraduate settings. Allowing students to choose their own application and method of testing the graphene they synthesize is an engaging and authentic project based on engineering design and grounded in the tenets of constructivism. One of the many possible applications, reinforcement of paper mache by graphene, is easily adapted, uses familiar materials and methods, is cheap, and is easy to test. This student-centered project has led to increases in student content knowledge and lab skills. It increases students' confidence in designing their own solutions, analyzing data, and using scientific inquiry and engineering design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Since inquiry was first introduced to science education, a lot of inquiry-based tasks have appeared in textbooks for supporting an inquiry-based approach. These tasks have great potential to direct the implementation of an inquiry-based approach, as teachers rely heavily on the use of existing instructional materials in most K-12 classrooms. However, these tasks would not actually take effect unless they could accomplish the mission of assisting in the achievement of the educational goals of an inquiry-based approach, for which it is necessary to assess the design quality of inquiry-based tasks in textbooks. Content analysis is an effective way to evaluate the design quality of textbooks. This study adopted the instrument - the Inquiry-based Tasks Analysis Inventory (ITAI), which fits the purpose and has strong reliability and validity - to analyse the inquiry-based tasks in current high school biology textbooks in Mainland China. The results show that (1) some of the inquiry-based tasks separate the inquiry process from scientific content, (2) current textbooks do not present balanced dispositions to use inquiry process skills, and (3) inquiry-based tasks in current textbooks do not reflect a proper understanding about scientific inquiry. The findings call for revisions of inquiry-based tasks in textbooks and indicate the ambiguous understanding about inquiry that may be held by the textbook authors. What is more, the problems revealed by this study are very similar to those found in previous studies in other regions, which highlights the need for continuous attention to the evaluation of inquiry-based tasks in textbooks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]