Inquiry-Based Science Education
Tiffany Wild, PhD and Margilee Hilson, PhD
The Ohio State University and Columbus
City Schools
8
What is Inquiry-Based Science Education?
Inquiry-based education starts with the
natural curiosity of a child. As children try to make
sense of the world through asking questions,
making observations, trying things out, organizing
their observations, and eventually explaining what
they have seen, they are engaged in inquiry
(Annenberg, 2012). Teachers can help students
turn the initial playfulness of pursuing points of
curiosity into focused learning and problemsolving episodes by helping students learn how to
systematically record and interpret data. When
educators design science classes to be inquirybased, students may engage in scientific activities much like working scientists. As per The National Research Council:
Inquiry refers to diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world and propose
explanations based on the evidence…It refers to the activities of students in which
they develop knowledge and understanding
of scientific ideas, as well as an understanding of how scientists study the natural
world. (NRC, 1996, p.2)
In short, inquiry is asking questions and answering them with evidence that has been collected. Inquiry is the process by which science
moves forward. It is a way of thinking and learning about how the natural world works.
Understandings of science inquiry
represent how and why scientific knowledge
changes in response to new evidence, logical analysis and modified explanations debated within a community of scientists.
(NRC, 2000, p. 21)
