What Is Inquiry-Based Science?
Inquiry-based science includes higher order questioning, student-centered discussion, and discovery of central concepts through active involvement. Promoted by the National Research Council (1996), inquiry-based science aligns classroom-based science learning with approaches used by scientists to study the natural world and propose explanations based on the evidence they collect. Inquiry-based science classrooms provide opportunities for students to observe, think, experiment, and communicate scientific understandings in the same ways that scientists do. When students engage in inquiry-based science they learn firsthand how science knowledge is created. Inquiry-based science requires teachers to provide a range of learning experiences that extend opportunities to learn about science beyond simply reading or talking about science.
Inquiry-based science emphasizes investigations. The National Science Education Standards identifies five essential features of inquiry-based science learning:
- Questioning
- Observing and collecting evidence
- Using evidence to develop and evaluate explanations
- Considering alternative explanations based on evidence
- Communicating and justifying proposed explanations
How is inquiry different from the scientific method?
Many times teachers associate inquiry with science fair projects and strict adherence to the scientific method. The scientific method, however, documents how scientists work. Inquiry-based science captures the process of scientific deliberations. The scientific method promotes a view that doing science requires following a fixed and predictable sequence of activities and does not allow for the dynamic nature of scientific investigations. Through inquiry-based science, teachers vary how the essential features are included in response to the nature of the students and the goals of the curriculum. Based on what a teacher knows about the capabilities and needs of students, decisions are made about which aspects of inquiry to emphasize and where and how to provide support to students.
For example, in a science activity exploring soil types best suited for growing cantaloupes, the teacher might choose to focus on developing students’ abilities to formulate scientifically-oriented questions. With an identified focus on developing scientific questions, the teacher provides the necessary stimulus for observation and supports students as they generate questions that can be answered through exploration. Or, the teacher might choose to emphasize formulating explanations based on evidence. With an emphasis on evidence, the teacher would then provide the necessary procedure and guide students in data collection and discussion of evidence in order to address the scientifically-oriented question. Students would analyze the data and generate explanations based on the evidence collected.