This paper describes a project which focused primarily on developing a method for qualitatively assessing and describing curiosity/inquiry styles in individual children. A class of "puzzling-phenomenon" tasks for idiographic assessment of scientific curiosity/inquiry was developed and individually administered to five rural and five urban primary-grade children, using an adaptive-facilitative clinical interview technique. These tasks were aimed at eliciting surprise, puzzlement, manipulative curiosity and inquiry, while minimizing inhibition of response due to the strangeness of the puzzling phenomena. All verbal and other sonic events were tape-recorded and later transcribed stenographically, including descriptions of tone of voice. Non-verbal behavior was hand-recorded by the interviewer and an accompanying observer. The sonic transcript and the non-verbal record were then combined into a single synchronous protocol which was analyzed on ten idiographic personality qualities related to curiosity and inquiry. Results indicated varying consistencies in personality qualities elicited by different tasks, and demonstrated specific values of tasks. Individually tailored facilitation of tasks, based on study of protocols, was successful in enhancing inquiry qualities. Results of the descriptive analyses were compared with observations of the same children in small-group classroom inquiry situations and with teacher perceptions of children. (Author/JMB)