Investigating the relationship between instructional practices and science achievement in an inquiry-based learning environment

Figures & data

Table 1. Descriptive results and correlations between the reverse-coded items used in the inquiry-based instruction scale.

Predictor variables	Descriptive Statistics		Correlation coefficients
	M	SD	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h	i
a. ST098Q01TA	2.03	0.91		.29	.40	.33	.37	.27	.33	.37	.32
b. ST098Q02TA	3.06	0.80			.42	.49	.30	.43	.49	.28	.40
c. ST098Q03NA	2.80	0.90				.49	.41	.41	.49	.39	.45
d. ST098Q05TA	2.60	0.91					.45	.41	.42	.36	.46
e. ST098Q06TA	2.25	0.92						.30	.36	.51	.37
f. ST098Q07TA	3.23	0.90							.54	.34	.51
g. ST098Q08TA	2.97	0.92								.43	.54
h. ST098Q09TA	2.36	0.95									.45
i. ST098Q10NA	2.89	0.92

Note: All coefficients are significant at p < 0.01.

Table 2. Inquiry-based instruction by item predicting science achievement.

Variables	Linear model
	B	SE
Intercept	315.33*	125.90
Student level
ESCS	12.96	1.73
Immigration status (immigrant)	−16.51**	3.32
Gender (female)	−9.28**	1.21
ST098Q01TA	3.55**	0.53
ST098Q02TA	−3.13	1.49
ST098Q03NA	−2.68	1.72
ST098Q05TA	3.60	1.75
ST098Q06TA	11.99**	1.37
ST098Q07TA	−11.03**	1.61
ST098Q08TA	−7.48**	1.72
ST098Q09TA	6.79**	0.57
ST098Q10NA	−4.59*	1.54
School level
School location (urban)	10.66	5.23
School science resources	5.92**	0.52
School type (public)	−2.19	4.90
Country level
Income Gini coefficient	−110.84	86.18
Log GDP per capita	20.29	10.23
Random effects
Level 1 variance (σ^2)	4753.96**
Level 2 variance (τπ)	1675.97**
Level 3 variance (τβ)	1274.93**
Proportion of variance explained at level 1	.62
Proportion of variance explained at level 2	.22
Proportion of variance explained at level 3	.17

Note: ESCS = economic, social and cultural status.

*p < 0.01; **p < 0.001.

Figure 1. Inquiry-based approaches associated with increased levels of achievement.

Note: The error bars represent ±1 SD.

Figure 2. Inquiry-based approaches associated with decreased levels of achievement.

Note: The error bars represent ±1 SD.

Figure 3. Inquiry-based approaches exhibiting a curvlinear relationship to achievement.

Note: The error bars represent ±1 SD.

Table 3. Inquiry-based instruction by dummy-coded item predicting science achievement.

Variables	Categorical model
	B	SE
Intercept	279.60*	126.34
Student level
ESCS	12.83**	1.70
Immigration status	−16.30**	3.05
Gender (female)	−9.45**	1.24
ST098Q01TA, in some lessons	6.78**	1.49
ST098Q01TA, in most lessons	12.78**	1.64
ST098Q01TA, in all lessons	8.21**	1.81
ST098Q02TA, in some lessons	5.56*	1.85
ST098Q02TA, in most lessons	−3.36	5.12
ST098Q02TA, in all lessons	−13.82**	4.11
ST098Q03NA, in some lessons	−1.76	2.23
ST098Q03NA, in most lessons	−3.75	4.13
ST098Q03NA, in all lessons	−6.73	4.48
ST098Q05TA, in some lessons	2.88	2.16
ST098Q05TA, in most lessons	6.41	3.82
ST098Q05TA, in all lessons	8.73	5.07
ST098Q06TA, in some lessons	18.07**	1.99
ST098Q06TA, in most lessons	33.20**	2.91
ST098Q06TA, in all lessons	34.65**	3.60
ST098Q07TA, in some lessons	−9.82**	1.32
ST098Q07TA, in most lessons	−27.04**	3.58
ST098Q07TA, in all lessons	−26.76**	4.71
ST098Q08NA, in some lessons	−8.57**	2.13
ST098Q08NA, in most lessons	−16.08**	3.98
ST098Q08NA, in all lessons	−19.70**	4.12
ST098Q09TA, in some lessons	10.37**	2.00
ST098Q09TA, in most lessons	18.55**	1.84
ST098Q09TA, in all lessons	18.74**	1.49
ST098Q10NA, in some lessons	−2.23	3.30
ST098Q10NA, in most lessons	−8.67	4.12
ST098Q10NA, in all lessons	−13.50*	4.45
School level
School location (urban)	10.58	4.91
School science resources	5.52**	0.50
School type (public/other)	−2.42	4.60
Country level
Income Gini coefficient	−100.52	85.60
Log GDP per capita	20.83	10.24
Random Effects
Level 1 variance (σ^2)	4677.21**
Level 2 variance (τπ)	1568.69**
Level 3 variance (τβ)	1217.18**
Proportion of variance explained at level 1	.63
Proportion of variance explained at level 2	.21
Proportion of variance explained at level 3	.16

Note: ESCS = economic, social and cultural status.

*p < 0.01; **p < 0.001.

Table B1. List of countries/economies included in the study.

Algeria	Lithuania
Argentina	Luxembourg
Australia	Macao
Austria	Malaysia
Belgium	Malta
Brazil	Mexico
Bulgaria	Moldova
Canada	Montenegro
Chile	Netherlands
Chinese Taipei	New Zealand
Colombia	Norway
Costa Rica	Peru
Croatia	Poland
Czech Republic	Portugal
Denmark	Qatar
Dominican Republic	Romania
Estonia	Russian Federation
Finland	Singapore
France	Slovak Republic
Georgia	Vietnam
Germany	Spain
Greece	Switzerland
Hong Kong	Thailand
Hungary	Trinidad and Tobago
Iceland	United Arab Emirates
Indonesia	Tunisia
Ireland	Turkey
Italy	FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia)
Japan	United Kingdom
Kazakhstan	United States
Jordan	Uruguay
Korea	Beijing-Shanghai-Jiangsu-Guangdong (China)
Kosovo	Spain (Regions)
Lebanon	Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos (Argentina)
Latvia

Table

Country	B	S.E
All countries	−6.53**	0.48
Japan	−7.67**	1.26
Estonia	−17.91**	1.88
Chinese Taipei	−3.26	1.53
Finland	−1.17	2.15
Macao	−3.36	1.83
Canada	−11.54**	1.32
Vietnam	1.04	2.94
B-S-J-G (China)	−2.41	1.28
Korea	−10.05**	1.83
New Zealand	−14.06**	2.67
Slovenia	−8.00**	1.95
Australia	−7.21**	1.84
Germany	−3.62	1.93
Netherlands	−3.62	1.87
UK	−4.32	2.46
Ireland	−3.93	2.15
Belgium	−7.46**	2.07
Denmark	0.06	2.50
Poland	−10.88**	2.16
Portugal	−6.90**	1.49
Norway	−8.42*	2.60
USA	−10.01**	2.16
Austria	−3.01	1.33
France	−2.48	1.66
Czech Republic	−9.07**	1.45
Spain	−5.14**	1.45
Latvia	−8.28**	2.31
Luxembourg	−2.71	1.80
Italy	−6.22*	1.87
Hungary	−4.15*	1.31
Croatia	−5.28**	1.22
Lithuania	−7.30**	1.46
Argentina	−2.12	3.63
Iceland	−3.77	1.61
Greece	−13.89**	1.56
Chile	−12.16**	1.34
Bulgaria	−11.38**	1.44
UAE	−4.87**	1.10
Romania	−2.44	2.12
Uruguay	−9.27**	1.58
Moldova	3.71	2.39
Turkey	−4.80**	1.05
Costa Rica	−6.84**	1.26
Qatar	−6.89**	1.26
Colombia	−6.63**	1.70
Mexico	−6.34**	1.59
Georgia	−9.23**	1.94
Montenegro	−7.99**	1.29
Jordan	−6.98**	1.66
Indonesia	−6.09*	1.84
Brazil	−11.61**	1.28
Peru	−9.13**	1.32
Lebanon	−6.57	2.63
Tunisia	−4.95**	1.39
FYROM	−4.47*	1.65
Kosovo	−9.06**	1.82
Algeria	−1.86	1.57
Dominican Republic	−8.19**	1.79

Notes: The covariates controlled for in each model include student level variables (ESCS, immigration status and gender) and school level variables (school location, school type and school science resources).

*p < 0.01, **p < 0.001.