Promoting inquiry based learning in support of WISE in China

Abstract

Recent efforts in science education in China focused on introducing inquiry learning into courses to improve students’ understanding of science content and cultivate their creative and independent thinking skills. This study investigated how to design and implement a WISE inquiry project successfully in the guidance of knowledge integration framework and examined its effectiveness in students’ academic performance. Two classes of Grade 9 Physics students (n=46) in a Chinese secondary school studied the unit of thermal processes through WISE for a month long. Data were collected through pre- and post-test, Knowledge Integration assessments, audiotapes of students’ conversation, collaborative knowledge products, students’ individual interviews and classroom observation. Results suggested that students made significant overall pre-test to post-test gains on Physics concepts, and embedded assessments in WISE was the best indicator and explanation for it, controlling for pre-test scores. Also, through a case study and the student individual interview, this study identified the most important considerations in designing and implementing WISE project in a Chinese context, they were: 1) emphasize the KI processes; 2) facilitate the collaborative learning environments; 3) change students’ beliefs of learning through WISE patterns; 4) provide effective teacher guidance; 5) use the visualizations and experiments meaningfully; 6) scaffold students’ metacognition.