The importance of introducing students to mechanistic reasoning (MR) early in their schooling is emphasised in research. The goal of this case study was to contribute with knowledge on how early primary students' (9-10 year-olds) MR in chemistry is expressed and developed in a classroom practice framed by model-based inquiry. The study focuses on…

The objective of the current study was to identify an effective learning environment for kindergarten students as they acquire an initial understanding of scientific inquiry activities (SIA) and a simple (idealized) scientific inquiry cycle (SIC). The study aimed to examine (a) the effects of instructional support and (b) the role of similarity…

The aim of this qualitative multiple case study was to understand three Saudi kindergarten teachers 'attitudes toward enacting inquiry to teach science in the kindergarten classroom. This study was guided by two research questions: 1) What attitudes do Saudi kindergarten teachers hold about using inquiry to teach science in their classrooms? 2)…

Following recipes, adding ingredients, creating something unique, and seeing the finished products are the cooking processes that children can get actively involved with. This paper presents a quantitative study exploring the effectiveness of an inquiry-based cooking project to improve children's scientific process skills and health eating habits.…

This article explores the usefulness of detective role-play as a research method to facilitate young children's critical thinking. The study examines four specifically designed detective play experiences, adopting an ethical rights-based approach to research with children. This qualitative multiple-case study is grounded in play-based pedagogy…

This study aims to examine the effect of the P4C curriculum on 5-6-year-old children's critical thinking through philosophical inquiry and their problem-solving skills. The study group included a total of 40 children learning in kindergartens at an elementary school in Çanakkale, Turkey. The study used a quasi-experimental model with the…

Common objects are made of materials that have obvious physical features which, although readily observable, may be overlooked by children. Helping young children to notice characteristic features -- scientifically referred to as properties -- equips them to discern common and distinct (diagnostic) features. Once children begin to recognise…

Research into pedagogical approaches used in early years' nature education, more specifically European and UK forest schools, remains according to Leather, 'undertheorised.' In a similar situation in Australia, the bush kindergarten programmes (referred to as 'bush kinders'), have had limited research attention. Influenced by European and UK…

Inquiry skills are universally recognised as being integral to a contemporary science education where students need to understand the nature of scientific practices as well as concepts. Although inquiry learning is a common practice among primary educators, the development and assessment of inquiry skills is far less practised. There is a need for…

This study explored Grade 3 teachers' use of an inquiry-based approach to mediate the development of basic science concepts among learners within the socio-cultural theory. This study adopted interpretive case study research of the qualitative type, using a sample of four (4) female teachers who use the home language of learners as the language of…

This article is based on a 2-year TLRI-funded research project that examined how three early childhood centres explored the ways in which walking, reading, and storying the land with teachers, community members, iwi, and whanau enabled children to experience and learn about their local area, its stories, geology, biodiversity, and cultural…

Inquiry-based science instruction has been proposed as an optimal learning environment for language-integrated teaching. While its potential for developing both content knowledge and language skills has been shown for students with limited language proficiency, research focusing on mainstream classrooms has mainly considered domain-specific…

This study was aimed to calculate teachers' effective use of time in scientific inquiry lessons. The research was designed as a case study. The study group of the research consists of 5 pre-school teachers determined by the convenient sampling method. Before the study, the participants were taken in-service training program on scientific inquiry.…

This study explored the research question: How can project-based inquiry (PBI) in STEM teaching be designed, planned, and implemented in two preschool settings? A case study was conducted, using a collaborative action research approach. This research was conducted with 11 teachers and 300 children from 11 classes at two preschools in Taiwan. The…

This article presents the journey taken by staff at St. Patrick's Primary School in Kilmore to implement a consistent approach to the teaching of mathematics, using an instructional model to support student learning through structured inquiry pedagogies.