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

Abstract

A large body of research has studied the role and potential ofinquiry to increase the quality of teaching in science education.While much of this existing research is based on internationallarge-scale assessment studies, we still lack a clear understandingof the factors that influence the quality of inquiry-based scienceteaching in actual classroom practices. In this paper, weoperationalise teaching quality through an observation manual,and we drew on this manual to systematically analyse video dataof instructional practices in 20 Norwegian science classrooms atthe primary and lower-secondary school level (73 observedlessons and about 450 students). We identified varying quality inthe individual inquiry phases and differences between primaryand lower-secondary schools. We observed that primary-schoolstudents collected and documented data more systematicallythan lower-secondary students and that consolidations wereslightly more emphasised and of higher quality at the lower-secondary than at the primary level. Moreover, ourfindingsindicate that inquiry-based teaching gave students more freedomto make their own choices and increased the quality of studentparticipation in the classroom. Based on ourfindings, we discusshow teachers can improve the quality of inquiry-based instructionand empower students in the classroom