Promoting Inquiry through Laboratory Investigations
Resource
In M. V. Thomase (ed.). Science Education in Focus, 307-319
Journal
In M. V. Thomase (ed.). Science Education in Focus
Pages
307-319
Date Issued
2008
Date
2008
Author(s)
Huang, H.
Lin, Y. K.
Abstract
A key goal of K-12 science education reform is to improve students' understanding and ability of scientific inquiry. To convey scientific inquiry to students, teachers themselves should possess adequate concepts of the scientific enterprise. However, prospective teachers have limited knowledge of, and experience with the processes by which scientific knowledge is generated. There have been calls to integrate inquiry into science classrooms at all educational levels. In the current study, a general biology course was developed specifically for students who will be elementary school teachers to promote inquiry through laboratory investigations. The introduction of biology content knowledge was integrated with laboratory investigations. The process of inquiry included following steps: making observations, researching background information, defining problems, forming hypotheses, designing and performing experiments, gathering and analyzing data, reflecting on the results, and communicating the results. In addition, students planned and conducted a group research project which allowed them to practice inquiry by pursuing a research question based on their interests in biological phenomena. They also wrote reflection reports to record their inquiry experiences. At the end of the semester, a survey was conducted to assess the influence of practicing inquiry on four areas: understanding of science knowledge, understanding of scientific inquiry, attitude toward science, and confidence in teaching science. This chapter presents an analysis of students' learning outcomes and the purposes are: (1) to identify common approaches, and patterns in students' practice of scientific inquiry when they designed and conducted group research projects, and (2) to explore students' experiences and perspectives of applying scientific inquiry to learning and teaching science. Students' answers to the survey questions were calculated for the frequency of responses. The qualitative data including group research reports and reflection reports were analyzed by using the constant comparative method. The results showed that students appreciated the opportunity of developing and practicing scientific inquiry. They reflected that they had a better understanding of the process of scientific inquiry and felt confident in teaching science. Nonetheless, they encountered difficulties in conducting group research projects in terms of developing a research question, designing an experiment, analyzing data, and interpreting results. The study clarified and characterized prospective teachers' understanding and perception of scientific inquiry. The implications of the study provide suggestions for on-going improvement of the course. The prospective teachers will thus be able to establish knowledge and skills of scientific inquiry, and then apply them in teaching science to their students. © 2008 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.
SDGs
Publisher
Nova Publisher