This study investigated the effectiveness of a novel inquiry-based instructional sequence using interactive simulations for supporting students' development of conceptual understanding, inquiry process skills and confidence in learning. The study, conducted in Beijing, involved two teachers and 117 students in four classes. The teachers participated in professional learning and were supported in enacting one of two different instructional approaches the Interactive Simulations Instructional Approach (ISIA) (experimental group) or conventional instruction (control group). Each student group completed pre-tests and post-tests, and classroom observations were conducted to ensure that the implementation of the intervention was consistent. Our findings reveal that students in the ISIA group demonstrated significantly greater gains in conceptual understanding, inquiry process skills and confidence in learning than their peers in the conventional instruction group. Neither students' sex nor their levels of academic achievement showed main effects on students' achievement in any of the three outcome types (understanding, skill, confidence). This study demonstrates that the combination of interactive simulations and inquiry-based learning can enhance the development of students' conceptual understanding, inquiry process skills and confidence in learning.

Inquiry instruction is a well-respected and well-supported teaching approach in science education, although the extent to which teachers are able to implement it in classrooms around the world is somewhat disappointing, despite a strongly expressed desire to do so. Reasons for this include pressures on teachers to 'teach to the exam', over-full curricula, student expectations and some characteristics of teachers themselves. There is a signifi cant body of evidence to show that, where inquiry instruction is implemented by teachers, it is highly effective not only for addressing students' misconceptions and helping them to develop deep understandings of correct (canonical) science concepts, but also for developing students' understanding of the nature of science, evidence and argumentation. Teachers fi nd that they are enabled to engage students in higher-level discussions about the use and evaluation of empirical evidence and to offer students richer, more satisfying learning experiences. Interactive simulations -computer-based visualizations in which students can enter variables and observe the effects -offer signifi cant potential to support teachers in scaffolding inquiry instruction in science. This chapter draws together theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence from the literature and develops an original instructional sequence for the effective use of interactive simulations by teachers implementing inquiry instruction in physical science education.

Two mixed-methods studies (a pilot study and a main study) were carried out to investigate the effectiveness of a novel inquiry-based learning method (named the Inquiry-based learning with Interactive Simulation -ILIS approach). The studies focused on 10 th grade students' conceptual understandings about force and motion in physics. In each of the studies, an explanatory mixed methods design was adapted to combine a quantitative phase with a qualitative phase. The initial quantitative phase employed a quasi-experimental method. Participants were randomly assigned to the ILIS approach (experimental group) and conventional instruction (control group) as learning methods. All participants were asked to respond to a test (modified Force Concept Inventory) and surveys (confidence in learning and inquiry process skills of hypothesising, operation, communication, and evaluation). The quantitative phase addresses the first research question: What is the effectiveness of the ILIS approach and conventional instruction respectively on student conceptual learning? The subsequent qualitative phase of each study involving interviewing participants to explore the way in which the students and teachers understood the conceptual learning in relation to potential performance achieved with the ILIS approach. The results showed significant gains in conceptual understanding about forces and motion and inquiry process skills by the experimental groups in comparison to the control groups. The students' inquiry process skills showed the same trend as conceptual learning. Confidence in learning also correlated with students' conceptual understanding. In contrast, the results showed that the conventional instruction has the same positive effect on improving students' confidence in learning as the ILIS approach. Qualitative findings induced that students in the experimental group reported individual perceptions and viewpoints. The qualitative phase involved interviews with three teachers and six students. It revealed that the ILIS approach offers meaningful benefits for students' conceptual understanding, which complements the findings from the quantitative phase. The findings suggested that the ILIS approach may have implications as a practical and effective teaching and learning method in enhancing students to develop their conceptual understanding in physics.ii Declaration by authorThis thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis.I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research ...

China has implemented curricular reforms with a focus on inquiry learning in physics education. As has been the case in other countries around the world, teachers have generally supported the intentions of the curriculum in relation to inquiry pedagogy but, in the face of high stakes assessment and other issues, have struggled to implement it appropriately in classroom teaching. Interactive simulations -computer-based 'virtual experiments' in which students can enter values and both observe and record the resultshave considerable potential for supporting teachers' use of inquiry approaches to the development of concepts in physics. This paper outlines the Chinese context of the study along with a novel instructional sequence developed and tested by the authors for the purpose of scaffolding inquiry instruction using interactive simulations. The paper describes a pilot study of the classroom use of the ISIS instructional sequence, including measurement of students' development of physics concepts, their confidence in their own understanding and their development of the skills of scientific inquiry. The sequence was found to be effective for conceptual development.