U.S. cultural preoccupation with modernity has made public administration a field that emphasizes technical rationality, professionalism, and scientific rigor with little capacity to address critical societal questions. Greater attention to history would produce genuinely open inquiry. (SK)

Argues that students must be trained properly to ask reflective questions. Describes two strategies that can be used by teachers to help students improve their question asking abilities. (HB)

This paper wraps up a theme issue on Callahan's vulnerability thesis (as related to school superintendents), which was presented in his 1962 book, Education and the Cult of Efficiency. The paper examines the various authors' points of view and focuses on the concept of inquiry and its importance and power in education. (SM)

Discusses a classroom-teaching example provided in this issue. Comments that teachers, using curricular materials and activities, adapt, elaborate on, or invent the context of learning in ways that ensure that students study important central concepts in science and mathematics, and that the understandings students develop are accurate and rich.…

A two-year study of a multiage classroom (ages 7 to 9) that used whole-class inquiry centered on a topic or theme found that students lacked ownership of learning. A more theoretical understanding of inquiry was encouraged by letting students pose personally significant questions. (SK)

Argues that literature provides a vehicle for inquiry-based teaching that can encourage reflective thinking and help students to learn to make informed decisions by carefully thinking through ill-structured, realistic dilemmas that have no right or wrong answer. Describes strategies that promote carefully structured investigation of such dilemmas,…

Defines inquiry and inquiry-based instruction. Indicates the importance of inquiry in science education. (YDS)

Describes an activity for high school students on household plastic wraps to introduce polymer science. Tests wraps for added plasticizers and stress and strain properties. Suggests focus points for student evaluation. (YDS)

Explains the results of research on formative assessment which focuses on improving student learning. Presents a model for a targeted learning model and lists the components of the model. (YDS)

Discusses the use of museum collections for scientific inquiry and describes a project that investigated ways in which museum Web sites can be expanded to support learning through scientific inquiry. Describes a content analysis of museum Web sites and the development of a Web site to provide access to museum collection items. (LRW)

Observes that the tendency to question pushes some gifted students toward self-directed inquiry and supports their academic talent. Considers ways to nurture all students, especially the ones who don't question much on their own. Explores the author's experience in guiding her students toward becoming self-directed learners and guiding them to…

Introduces an inquiry-based lab design in which students try to find evidence on a particular problem. Investigates the effects of decreases in the pH level on the environment. Includes students' hypotheses and research results. (YDS)

Introduces the activity of making ice by boiling water with no external heat applied. Uses a vacuum chamber for the activity and explains the kinetic molecular theory of matter. (YDS)

Describes the sociocultural theory motivating strategy "transformative communication" as well as a specific dialogue sequence that can be used as a cultural tool for accompanying such interaction. Illustrates the utility of the dialogue sequence in four key episodes within and inquiry-based high school earth science class. (Author/SAH)

Stern and Barley's article in this same "Administrative Science Quarterly" issue gives too much attention to work appearing in the core organization journals and not enough to findings reported in broader and more specialized social-science journals and the book literature. Surveying this broader domain suggests that organizational…