Graduation Date

Spring 2018

Document Type

Project

Program

Master of Arts degree with a major in Education

Committee Chair Name

John Y. Lee

Committee Chair Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Second Committee Member Name

Shannon Morago

Second Committee Member Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Inquiry learning, Scaffolding, Middle school, Guided inquiry, Science education

Subject Categories

Education

Abstract

Inquiry based learning is complex and challenging. In order to maximize its benefits, it is vital to understand what teaching methods and scaffolds best support different student populations as they are introduced to inquiry-based learning in different contexts. One major challenge of inquiry is organizational: planning the process and organizing the information. This project studied the effectiveness of using a particular scaffolding tool, an advanced organizer template, to support seventh grade science students in an introductory inquiry-based unit. One group of seventh grade students used the advanced organizer template and one group did not. Students chose the type of project to create and their partner. Previous performance in their science class, the type of project they chose, and whether or not they used the Advanced Organizer Template were all statistically significant predictors of their success in the project. The data collected and observations made helped to develop the final Natural Disaster Unit.

Citation Style

APA

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