Student-Designed Inquiry: Effects on Scientific Reasoning and Conceptual Understanding in Physics

Abstract

The study investigated the effects of Student-Designed Inquiry (SDI) on students’ scientific reasoning and conceptual understanding in Physics. The study showed that exposure to SDI could help in developing students with high reasoning ability. SDI favored high-performing students than low-performing students in enhancing conceptual understanding. Also, scientific reasoning positively predicted conceptual understanding in physics. Moreover, students with high reasoning ability had higher conceptual understanding. Students with average reasoning ability also performed significantly better in the Conceptual Understanding Test than students with low reasoning ability.

Further investigation can be carried out, for example, on the effects of SDI to other learning outcomes such as science process skills, higher-order thinking skills, self-efficacy and attitude.