Learning with collaborative inquiry: a science learning environment for secondary students

Abstract

When inquiry-based learning is designed for a collaborative context, the interactions that arise in the learning environment can become fairly complex. While the learning effectiveness of such learning environments has been reported in the literature, there have been fewer studies on the students’ learning processes. To address this, the article presents a study of science learning in a computer-supported learning environment called Collaborative Science Inquiry (CSI), which integrates guided inquiry principles for activity design, employs modelling and visualisation tools for promoting conceptual understanding and incorporates key computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) elements for enabling students’ collaboration. With the aim of understanding the process of students’ conceptual changes supported by the CSI learning environment as used in a secondary school, data on students’ test achievements, responses to learning tasks and peer discussions in collaboration were collected, analysed and discussed. The results of the qualitative and quantitative data analysis indicated that guided inquiry coupled with CSCL elements facilitated by the CSI system can engage students in inquiry activities and promote their conceptual understanding in a progressive way.

Keywords:

• CSI system
• science learning
• collaborative inquiry
• conceptual understanding

Acknowledgments

This research is funded by the National Research Foundation in Singapore [Project #: NRF2009-IDM001-MOE-019, IDM SST Future School-Science project]. We would like to thank Baohui Zhang for his contributions in the conceptualisation of this project, and the CSI team members and our collaborators: Chaohai Chen, Shan Gao, Weikai Fu, Karel Mous, and the teachers, namely Evelyn Teo, Charles Low, Kassandra Lim, Justin Ke Kaijia and their students for working with us on the project.

Notes

1. The test can be retrieved from: https://sites.google.com/site/futureschoolcsinquiry/pedagogical resources/diffusion_ osmosis_test.