Resumen de Dealing with the Ambiguities of Science Inquiry
Yuen Sze Michelle Tan, Imelda Santos Caleon
The current vision of science education in myriad educational contexts encourages students to learn through the process of science inquiry. Science inquiry has been used to promote conceptual learning and engage learners in an active process of meaning-making and investigation to understand the world around them. The science inquiry process typically involves asking questions and defining problems; constructing explanations and designing solutions; planning and carrying out investigations; analyzing and interpreting data; and engaging in argument from evidence. Despite the importance and provision of new directions and standards about science inquiry, ambiguities in conceptualizations of inquiry still exist. These conceptualizations may serve as barriers to students learning science. In this article, we detail three main concerns related to teachers' conceptualization of science inquiry in the context of a Singapore classroom—concerns that may be similarly faced by teachers elsewhere.
