ERIC Number: EJ1402036
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0950-0693
EISSN: EISSN-1464-5289
Studying the Quality of Inquiry-Based Teaching in Science Classrooms. A Systematic Video Study of Inquiry-Based Science Teaching in Primary and Lower-Secondary Schools
Kersting, Magdalena; Karlsen, Solveig; Ødegaard, Marianne; Olufsen, Magne; Kjaernsli, Marit; Suhr Lunde, Mai Lill
International Journal of Science Education, v45 n17 p1463-1484 2023
A large body of research has studied the role and potential of inquiry to increase the quality of teaching in science education. While much of this existing research is based on international large-scale assessment studies, we still lack a clear understanding of the factors that influence the quality of inquiry-based science teaching in actual classroom practices. In this paper, we operationalise teaching quality through an observation manual, and we drew on this manual to systematically analyse video data of instructional practices in 20 Norwegian science classrooms at the primary and lower-secondary school level (73 observed lessons and about 450 students). We identified varying quality in the individual inquiry phases and differences between primary and lower-secondary schools. We observed that primary-school students collected and documented data more systematically than lower-secondary students and that consolidations were slightly more emphasised and of higher quality at the lower-secondary than at the primary level. Moreover, our findings indicate that inquiry-based teaching gave students more freedom to make their own choices and increased the quality of student participation in the classroom. Based on our findings, we discuss how teachers can improve the quality of inquiry-based instruction and empower students in the classroom.
Descriptors: Educational Quality, Inquiry, Active Learning, Science Education, Video Technology, Elementary School Teachers, Middle School Teachers, Foreign Countries, Content Analysis, Teaching Methods
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Norway
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A