Impact of inquiry activities in physics teaching on the level of students' inquiry skills

• Published in: Journal of physics. Conference series 2018-09, Vol.1076 (1), p.12021
• Main Authors: Balogová, Brigita, Ješková, Zuzana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Data analysis; Data collection; Education; Experiments; Graphs; Hypotheses; Mathematical analysis; Physics; Questions; Science education; Skills; Students; Teaching; Teaching methods
• ISSN: 1742-6588; 1742-6596
• DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/1076/1/012021

Currently we face a strong effort to change science education towards shift from the traditional way of teaching and teacher-centred to student-centred education, what is the basis of Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE) approach. Within the Slovak national project VEMIV aimed at research on the efficiency of innovative teaching methods in mathematics, physics and informatics education there has been a research question about the level of students' inquiry skills and the impact of systematic implementation of inquiry activities solved. In order to evaluate the level of inquiry skills a test of inquiry skills was developed. It focuses on the following inquiry skills: formulation of hypothesis, a design of an experiment (which variables, relationships), presentation of the results in a standard form (tables, graphs), determination of qualitative and quantitative relationships from graphs, tables and equations, determination of accuracy of experimental data (identification of possible sources of errors), explanation of relationships and scientific argumentation. After completing the test students from selected classes of six experimental schools experienced consistent and systematic implementation of IBSE at different levels of inquiry. The activities in physics include teaching materials in the form of students' worksheets complemented by formative assessment tools. The activities are mostly designed at interactive demonstration and confirmation or guided inquiry level. Each activity is built up in an inquiry manner, i.e. it starts with the physical problem/question that students are expected to examine. The problem is followed by formulating a hypothesis that students want to verify, then students choose variables and design an experiment. Following the instructions and answering questions, students continue step by step through conducting experiment, collecting data and their analysis, interpreting data towards drawing conclusions. The activity is complemented with formative assessment conceptual tasks connected to the activity topic as well as the self-assessment table where students assess themselves with regard to skills and knowledge they gained. After the period of systematic implementation of IBSE the same students answered a slightly modified inquiry skill test again. The results of 300 students, who answered both pre-test and post-test have shown positive shift in the level of assessed inquiry skills as a whole, however, the shift in individual t