Over the past several decades, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners have placed an emphasis on inquiry-based science and mathematics instruction in elementary school. While inquiry-based science and mathematics instruction can support student learning and engagement, teacher preparation programmes have experienced challenges in preparing…

We investigated the effects of just-in-time guidance at various stages of inquiry learning by novice learners. Thirteen participants, randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 8) or control (n = 5) group, were observed as they learned about DC electric circuits using a web-based simulation. Just-in-time instructional prompts to observe, predict,…

Inquiry-based science instruction is widely advocated, but studies based on international large-scale assessments often show inquiry to be negatively associated with achievement. We re-examine this issue by examining whether the association between inquiry and learning depends upon the provision of teacher guidance. Participants were 151,721…

Evidence of the effectiveness of active learning has resulted in a shift in post-secondary classrooms towards student-centred teaching, often relying heavily on peer-to-peer interactions. While the overall benefit of these teaching methods is established, it remains unclear whether all sub-populations of students benefit similarly. Given the…

As part of the SSHRC partnership grant on Reciprocal Learning between Ontario, Canada and Southwest, China, we examined the commonalities and differences in secondary school Inquiry-based Teaching (IBT) in science between sister schools in Ontario, Canada and Southwest, China. Canadian and Chinese teachers' interpretations of inquiry through…

In this design-based study, a flipped learning approach using audio-visual resources as prelearning activities was examined in grades 6, 7, and 9 with four teachers and 65 students over one school year. The purpose of this study was to explore the implementation of a technology-enhanced pedagogy in science, math, and social studies. The…

Teacher-student discourse continues to be teacher-centred even though researchers and reform documents have recommended changes toward increased levels of student-centred discourse. In science education this situation is paralleled by effort to make scientific inquiry more student-centred. The purpose of this study was to investigate how discourse…

This paper describes how future physics teachers' involvement in annual Family Math and Science Day--a public outreach event at the University of British Columbia, Canada--has a potential to transform them as physics demonstration experts and amateur video producers. These science demonstration videos serve as teaching and learning resources not…

Instructional support is fundamental to successful implementation of Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) in various educational settings. Although research indicates that instructional support can lead to learning gain and achievement of inquiry strategies, it does not explain why the same level of guidance for students with relatively the same level of…

This paper attends to challenges for postsecondary science education improvement initiatives, notably understanding and responding to the realities guiding educators' teaching practices. We explored 16 postsecondary biology educators' instructional planning, providing novel insights into why educators select certain strategies over others,…

This study investigated 27 chemistry professors' perceptions of learning in undergraduate education and their suggestions for adopting an inquiry-based pedagogical approach to teaching and learning. Semistructured interviews revealed that two thirds of participants perceived undergraduate learning in traditional ways such as the acquisition of…

Research shows that various stereotypes about science and science learning, such as science being filled with hard and dry content, laboratory experiments, and male-dominated work environments, have resulted in feelings of distance from science in students' minds. This study explores children's experiences of science learning and science identity.…

Educational techniques that improve student engagement have repeatedly been shown to improve performance at the class level at many institutions and in multiple disciplines. However, knowledge of engagement in individual activities in large first-year classes, where there may be several subpopulations of students in different programs reflecting…

Inquiry-based teaching has become the most recommended approach in science education for a few decades; however, it is not a common practice yet in k-12 school classrooms. In order to prepare future teachers to teach science through inquiry, a Microteaching Lesson Study (MLS) approach was employed in our science methods courses. Instead of asking…

This study analysed 10 top-performing regions in PISA 2015 on their science performances and instructional practices. The regions include Singapore, Japan, Estonia, Taipei, Finland, Macao, Canada, Hong Kong, China and Korea. The science performances of the 10 regions and their teaching practices are described and compared. The construct of…