The Journal of Educational Research, 105:134–146, 2012 C Taylor & Francis Group, LLC Copyright ISSN: 0022-0671 print / 1940-0675 online DOI:10.1080/00220671.2010.533717
Effects of Inquiry-Based Science Instruction on Science Achievement and Interest in Science: Evidence from Qatar SHALJAN AREEPATTAMANNIL Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
ABSTRACT. The author sought to investigate the effects of inquiry-based science instruction on science achievement and interest in science of 5,120 adolescents from 85 schools in Qatar. Results of hierarchical linear modeling analyses revealed the substantial positive effects of science teaching and learning with a focus on model or applications and interactive science teaching and learning on science achievement and interest in science. In contrast, science teaching and learning using student investigations and hands-on activities had substantial negative effects on science achievement in the context of other variables. Implications of the findings for educational policy and classroom practice are discussed. Keywords: adolescents, hierarchical linear modeling, inquirybased science instruction, interest in science, science achievement
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he Arabian Gulf nation of Qatar is one of the wealthiest countries in the world (World Economic Forum, 2009). Although Qatar chose to invest its wealth in education, “the education system for kindergarten through grade 12 (K–12) does not adequately prepare Qataris for work or post-secondary study” (Stasz et al., 2007, p. 13). The elementary and secondary education system in Qatar is widely recognized as “rigid, outmoded, and resistant to reform” (Brewer et al., 2007, p. 17). Moreover, curriculum and instruction in schools across Qatar emphasize rote memorization (Zellman et al., 2009). The dismal performance of Qatari adolescents on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2006 science assessment attests to the aforementioned findings. Adolescents from non-Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries—Qatar and Kyrgyzstan—were among the lowest performing adolescents in PISA 2006 (OECD, 2007). Qatari adolescents performed significantly below the OECD average (OECD, 2007; Supreme Council of Education [SCE], 2007). OECD (2004) posited,
In an increasingly technological world, literacy is not just about reading, but citizens also need to be scientifically literate. Scientific literacy is important for understanding environmental, medical, economic, and other issues that confront modern societies, which rely heavily on technological and scientific advances. Further, the performance of a country’s best students in scientific subjects may have implications for the part which that country will play in tomorrow’s advanced technology sector, and for its general international competitiveness. Conversely, deficiencies in mathematical and scientific literacy can have negative consequences for individuals’ labour-market and earnings prospects and for their capacity to participate fully in society. (p. 299)
Given the serious flaws in the present education system in Qatar and its failure in adequately preparing Qataris for the challenges of today’s technology-based societies, there is a dire need to carefully and critically examine the factors influencing science achievement and interest in science of adolescents in Qatar. Further, Qatar joined PISA in 2006 (OECD, 2007), and there is relatively little research that examined the academic trajectories of adolescent students in schools across Qatar. No study to date has examined the effects of inquiry-based science instruction on science achievement and interest in science for adolescent students in Qatar. Considering the paucity of research, more theoretically and methodologically diverse empirical research is needed to construct a sophisticated understanding of the influence of classroom instructional strategies on scientific literacy and interest in scientific subjects for adolescent students in the Qatari school setting. Furthermore, because “enhancement and propagation of scientific inquiry is one of the core elements of scientific education” (Hanauer, Hatfull, & Jacobs-Sera, 2009, p. 11), there is a growing consensus among science experts that Address correspondence to Shaljan Areepattamannil, Centre for International Comparative Studies, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Nanyang Walk, Singapore 637 616. (E-mail: shaljan.a@nie.edu.sg)