Comparative Perspectives on Inquiry-Based Science Education

Book excerpt: The core practice of professional scientists is inquiry, often referred to as research. If educators are to prepare students for a role in the professional scientific and technological community, exposing them to inquiry-based learning is essential. Despite this, inquiry-based teaching and learning (IBTL) remains relatively rare, possibly due to barriers that teachers face in deploying it or to a lack of belief in the teaching community that inquiry-based learning is effective. Comparative Perspectives on Inquiry-Based Science Education examines stories and experiences from members of an international science education project that delivered learning resources based around guided inquiry for students to a wide range of schools in 12 different countries in order to identify key themes that can provide useful insights for student learning, teacher support, and policy formulation at the continental level. The book provides case studies across these 12 different settings that enable readers to compare and contrast both practice and policy issues with their own contexts while accessing a cutting-edge model of professional development. It is designed for educators, instructional designers, administrators, principals, researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and students seeking current and relevant research on international education and education strategies for science courses.