Abstract
The effectiveness of a local systemic effort in meeting the goal of improved science literacy through the integration of inquiry teaching methods in classroom instruction was assessed. Science graduate students and K-12 teachers were partnered and engaged in a long-term professional development emphasizing inquiry practices. Data reported are the result of the investigation of one teacher/graduate student pair. The study examined the effectiveness of professional development implementation by assessing the ability of 100 of the participating teacher's students to use content gained through inquiry-based instruction to answer questions on state mandated tests. Results suggest that this inquiry teaching resulted in test score improvements with all disaggregated groups (gender, race/ethnicity, and tracking) improving approximately 10 percent. Professional development with an emphasis on the inquiry-based teaching strategy may have played a role in elimination of the bias between mean test scores.
Recommended Citation
Teller, Rachel; Sickle, Meta Van; Kombe, Dennis; Comen, Michelle; and Tempel, George
(2009)
"Does Inquiry Instruction Abet Standardized Test Score Increases?,"
Teacher Education Journal of South Carolina: Vol. 2:
No.
1, Article 10.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/tejsc/vol2/iss1/10