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- Vol 2 RE: App C, App D
inquiry-based science teachingteacher guidanceepistemic activitiesinstructional scaffoldingdisciplinary practicesevidence-based reasoningfeedbackguided inquiryJournal article Evidence summaryAt a glance
Furtak and colleagues meta-analyse experimental and quasi-experimental studies of inquiry-based science teaching to estimate effects and examine how instructional guidance matters. Across 37 studies yielding 42 independent effect sizes, inquiry instruction had a positive overall effect on student learning.
Key ideas
Effects varied by the kind of cognitive activity emphasised and by the degree of teacher guidance. Approaches involving epistemic activities—using evidence and reasoning to develop or justify knowledge—showed particularly strong results, while teacher-led guidance within inquiry was more effective than interpretations that left students to discover procedures and concepts with little support. The review therefore challenges the false choice between direct teaching and unguided inquiry. Productive inquiry involves carefully designed questions, disciplinary practices, scaffolding, feedback, and explicit support calibrated to learners and goals.
Why it matters
The authors also note variation in study quality, outcome measures, samples, and definitions of inquiry. Educational decisions should focus on which inquiry processes are taught and supported, not whether an activity merely carries the inquiry label.
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Edition abbreviations
- TE
- Teacher Edition
- PE
- Practice Edition
- RE
- Research Edition
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