Exploring the Relations of Inquiry-Based Teaching to Science Achievement and Dispositions in 54 Countries

Moving towards engaged learning in STEM domains; there is no simple answer, but clearly a road ahead

“…These PISA 2015 data seem to show a different picture than the meta‐analyses listed above; based on this analysis, it was concluded that, “After accounting for students' and schools' socio‐economic profile, in 56 countries and economies, greater exposure to enquiry‐based instruction is associated with lower scores in science” (OECD, , p. 36). This was further confirmed in a further analysis of the PISA 2016 data by Cairns and Areepattamannil (in press), who also concluded that more frequent use of inquiry activities was related to lower scores on the PISA science test.…”

“…When looking into the results for technology‐supported inquiry learning (e.g., learning with virtual labs or simulations), the results here also have consistently shown that inquiry learning does better compared with more direct forms of instruction for acquiring (conceptual) knowledge (see, e.g., Rutten et al, ), but again, effects are more pronounced when guidance is present (e.g., d'Angelo et al, ; Smetana & Bell, ). These results are reported for the acquisition of (conceptual) knowledge as an outcome variable, but positive results are often reported as well for interest in science (Cairns & Areepattamannil, in press; Laine, Veermans, Lahti, & Veermans, ; OECD, ).…”

“…For example, in a meta‐analysis, Furtak, Seidel, Iverson, and Briggs () found higher effect sizes for different forms of teacher‐led inquiry compared with traditional instruction than for student‐led discovery against traditional instruction. Analyses of different rounds of PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment, see www.oecd.org/pisa) data have shown that although the more open forms of inquiry are better for gaining a positive attitude towards science, the more closed, teacher‐led forms of inquiry are associated with higher knowledge scores (Cairns & Areepattamannil, in press; Jiang & McComas, ). The optimal division of control, however, may depend on student characteristics and other factors.…”

Which Country is More Effective in Science Teaching? Evidence from PISA 2015 as a Secondary School Assessment Tool

“…In a study made by Stohr-Hunt (1996) it was found that success in science classes of students who had more experience was greater than that of students with less experience. In a study conducted by Cairns and Areepattamannil (2019) it was determined that based on the PISA data, inquiry-based science education was significantly negatively correlated with science success, whereas inquiry-based science education was significantly positively correlated with dispositions towards science such as interest in and enjoyment of learning science, instrumental and futureoriented motivation for science, and science self-esteem. Using the TIMSS 2015 data for Norway, Teig et al (2018) concluded in their study that inquiry-based science teaching on a large scale had a negative effect on science achievement, a fact which supports the findings made by Cairns and Areepattamannil (2019).…”

Students’ Performance And Teaching Practices In Science Across Eu Countries: Evidence From Pisa 2015

“…Currently secondary ILSA data analyzes are available that investigate the links between teaching practices and students' performance (for example, Caro, Lenkeit, Kyriakides, 2016;Chi, Liu, Wang, Won Han, 2018;Cairns & Areepattamannil, 2017;Lau & Lam, 2017;Teig, Scherer, Nilsen, 2018;Cordero, Gil-Izquierdo, 2018). Some of the studies (such as Cairns, Areepattamannil, 2017;Chi et al, 2018;Teig et al, 2018) used the data from one country and only a few (Caro et al, 2016 andLau &Lam, 2017) have analyzed the effectiveness of teaching practices across different countries. The study of Caro et al (2016), which is based on PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) 2012 data from 62 countries, found that associations between students' oriented learning strategies and mathematics performance are inconsistent across education systems.…”