An Analysis of Science Inquiries as Presented in Elementary Science Textbooks

초등 교과서에서 제시된 과학 탐구 활동의 분석

Research into scientific inquiry methods indicates that providing various types of inquiry methods can enhance students' science loaming in terms of providing students with actual science in various ways' more so than exposure to one type of inquiry method. This article develops a framework for an analysis of scientific inquiry types based on the nature of scientific enterprise. We selected three types of scientific inquiry: these were minds-on activities, hands-on activities, and experimenting. Elementary science textbooks in the 7th national science curriculum were analysed according to the following subject areas; earth science, physics, biology, and chemistry. A total of 61 teaching units from 3rd through 6th grade science textbooks were investigated. The frequencies of each type of scientific inquiry method were slightly different among four science subject areas. The most frequent type which appeared in physics and chemistry was the hands-on type, while the minds-on activity type was the most frequent type which appeared in earth science and biology.