Inquiry-Driven Science: Evidence for Practice in the United States From PISA 2015

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Innovate Approaches to Assessing STEM

Abstract

Does inquiry-based science instruction, for example using laboratory experiments and scientific argumentation, lead to student learning? Numerous classroom-based studies have shown that these practices are effective. However, other studies, including reports from the influential Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), claim that these practices are related to lower student achievement. This study untangles the relationship between PISA student scores and inquiry-based instruction in the United States. PISA reports assume a linear relationship between student-reported frequencies of inquiry-based instruction and achievement (i.e., if a practice is effective, more is better). However, this study shows that a curvilinear model better fits the data. Implications of these findings for practitioners and policymakers is discussed.

Author

• Sara Dozier, California State University - Long Beach