IBSE Final

Chapter 4 Teaching Science as Inquiry

tHE tEACHING OF SCIENCE: 21 st-CENTURY PERSPECTIVES 93

Table 4.3 presents linkages among the research of Klahr, the BSCS 5E Instruc-

tional Model, and the essential features of inquiry as described in the National

Research Council report Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards

(NRC 2000).

Table 4.3

Linking Research, Instruction, and Inquiry

Chen and Klahr (1999)

An Integrated Instruction Sequence

(NRC 2006):

the BSCS 5E Instructional Model

Essential Features of

Inquiry (NRC 2000)

“Children were

presented materials in a

source domain in which

they performed an initial

exploration.”

Engagement initiates the

learning process and exposes

students’ current conceptions.

Teachers can

engage learners with

demonstrations, activities,

and field trips to form the

basis for scientifically

oriented questions.

“Children were asked

to set up experimental

apparatus so as to test

the possible effects of

different variables.”

In the Explore phase,

students gain experience with

phenomena or events.

Learners can use the

results of laboratory

investigations to give

priority to evidence and

to allow them to address

scientific questions.

“... included an

explanation of the

rationale behind

controlling variables as

well as examples of how

to make unconfounded

comparisons.”

In the Explain phase, the

teacher may give an explanation

to guide students toward a

deeper understanding.

Learners formulate

explanations and

teachers can provide

direct instruction about

scientific concepts,

principles, and facts.

“... children were

presented with

problems in two

additional domains.”

In the Elaborate phase,

students apply their

understanding in a new situation

or context.

Learners evaluate

scientific explanations as

they apply them to new

situations.

“Part II was a pencil-

and-paper posttest

given two months after

Part I.”

In the Evaluate phase, student

understanding and transfer are

assessed.

Learners communicate

and justify their proposed

scientific understanding.

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