Instructional Approaches on Science Performance, Attitude and Inquiry Ability in a Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Environment

This study examined the effects of an inquiry-based learning (IBL) approach compared to that of a problem-based learning (PBL) approach on learner performance, attitude toward science and inquiry ability. Ninety-six students from three 7th-grade classes at a public school were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. All groups received the same web-based curriculum on the scientific topic of the greenhouse effect. These IBL groups, though, were asked to actively participate in the processes of predicting, hypothesizing, and testing, while the PBL groups were instructed to follow a specific problem-solving process. The results revealed that all students performed equally in science performance despite of the treatment groups. In terms of attitude toward science, the findings indicated that students participated in IBL or PBL groups reported more positive attitudes toward learning science and resulted in higher inquiry abilities than those who were in the control group. This study concerns itself with the features of the experimental treatment that may have contributed to these results, the implications of which are also considered.