This study investigates the influence of inquiry-based laboratory activities on the understanding of heat concepts and the self-efficacy beliefs of pre-service primary teachers. Recognizing that both scientific literacy and teaching efficacy are critical for effective science education, this research aims to determine how inquiry-based laboratory…

Many teachers have a level of discomfort with planning inquiry-based science lessons for students with complex needs. Science instruction typically includes teaching discrete skills with a focus on vocabulary acquisition (Knight et al., 2020). Because science is universal and thus important for all learners, many states have adopted the Next…

This study scrutinizes the influence of project-based learning (PBL) and inquiry-based learning (IBL) on fourth graders' teamwork skills and critical thinking in math classes. A historical review reveals that while they have positive effects in multiple fields, their sole use in elementary math teaching is yet to be explored. 55 fourth-grade…

This manuscript examines multimodal storytelling as community inquiry for an urban high school class of 30 first- and second-generation bi/multilingual immigrant students, most of whom maintained transnational connections. We share how these students, in an A.P. Research class, engaged in community-based inquiry and utilized various multimodal…

In primary science education, inquiry-based science instruction stands out as an optimal learning environment for fostering domain-specific content and procedural knowledge. Recognizing the effectiveness of different forms of teacher guidance, there is an ongoing debate about the planning of high (structured inquiry) and low (guided inquiry)…

Inquiry is the essence of social studies, and inquiry "looping" in social studies curricula means offering students opportunities to engage in inquiry in regular intervals and in a coherent fashion within and across grade levels. This can benefit the youngest students since they are filled with hope and want to make a difference in the…

How can we prepare students for a world where data-driven decision-making shapes nearly every aspect of life? "Data Minds: How Today's Teachers Can Prepare Students for Tomorrow's World" helps K-8 educators infuse data literacy into everyday lessons across disciplines, without overwhelming existing curricula. Data literacy is an ability…

Despite a proliferation of research on generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and its applications in higher education (HE), our understanding of the transformative processes where students create productive and ethically grounded uses of GenAI and how AI mediates students' sensemaking is still limited. Based on an empirical investigation of…

Tasks used in the Biology Olympiad (BiO) appear to be promising alternatives to traditional teaching tasks in biology education, as they frequently incorporate inquiry-based elements. This makes them a valuable resource for increasing students' exposure to inquiry activities during classroom instruction. However, for teachers to effectively…

Since the release of ChatGPT, concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) and its capabilities and impact on education at all levels have been voiced by instructors in disciplines ranging from computer science to composition to history. This article explores two specific examples from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) that provide…

Natural science is often overlooked in preschool education, despite its crucial role in developing young children's inquiry and exploration skills. This study aimed to explain the impact of inquiry-based science teaching activities on the science teaching efficacy of preservice preschool teachers. Participants included 23 pre-service teachers…

This article critically assesses the impact of neoliberal imperatives on academic research, questioning the emphasis on economic benefits over intellectual richness and the ethical implications of such a skewed focus. Drawing on Sara Delamont's metaphor of "the great gates," which conceptualizes distinct research trajectories, a…

Inquiry is a promising avenue for providing intellectually rich, meaningful instruction, particularly for elementary social studies. Social studies is an interdisciplinary school subject that demands the interplay of content and skills that can be explicitly taught and demonstrated through inquiry. However, the inquiry approach is challenging in…

The integration of guided inquiry, outdoor learning, and diverse school environments is essential for enhancing students' Science Process Skills (SPS), particularly in biodiversity topics. This study aims to improve students' SPS through the implementation of Environment-Based Guided Inquiry in Outdoor Learning on biodiversity. The research was…

Critical thinking is an essential skill in the age of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). GenAI affords dialectic argumentation, which provides opportunities for the development of critical thinking in argumentation (CTA). However, there was limited empirical evidence of how learners specifically utilize GenAI to construct argumentation.…