RESOURCE 3B

ENHANCING SCIENCE EDUCATION THROUGH INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING

AND UNDERSTANDING THE FOUR LEVELS OF INQUIRY

“5E Model of Instruction promotes active learning. Students are involved in more than
listening and reading. They learn to ask questions, observe, model, analyze, explain,
draw conclusions, argue from evidence, and talk about their own understanding.
Students work collaboratively with peers to construct explanations, solve problems
and plan and carry out investigations.” – Rodger Bybee.

The 5E Instructional Model The 5E Instructional Model (Bybee & Landes,

1990) can be used to design a science lesson, and is based upon cognitive
psychology, constructivist-learning theory, and best practices in science teaching.
The cycle appears in Figure 1 and consists of cognitive stages of learning that
comprise engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate. Bybee (1997) declares
that “using this approach, students redefine, reorganize, elaborate, and change their
initial concepts through self-reflection and interaction with their peers and their
environment. Learners interpret objects and phenomena, and internalize those
interpretations in terms of their current conceptual understanding" (p. 176). Science
teachers and curriculum developers may integrate or apply the model at several
levels. The model can be the organizing pattern of a sequence of daily lessons,
individual units, or yearly plans (Bybee, 1997). Each phase of the 5E Instructional
Learning Cycle, as it has been modified from Bybee, is now described.

Engagement
In this first phase of the cycle, the teacher aims to assess student prior
knowledge and/or identify possible misconceptions. This student-centered phase
should be a motivational period that can create a desire to learn more about the
upcoming topic. Students may brainstorm an opening question or ask themselves:
“What do I already know about this topic?” Discrepant events, demonstrations,
questioning, or graphic organizers such as KWL charts may be included to create
interest or generate curiosity. A KWL chart asks students to brainstorm and record
what they Know, Want to know, and (eventually) have Learned about the topic. The
KWL chart is used to pre-assess student prior knowledge and is oftentimes referred
to throughout the duration of the lesson. The instructional task is identified.

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Exploration
Following an engagement phase that promotes a mental focus on the
concept, the exploration phase now provides the students with a common, concrete
learning experience. This phase is also student-centered and incorporates active
exploration. Students are encouraged to apply process skills, such as observing,
questioning, investigating, testing predictions, hypothesizing, and communicating,
with other peers. This phase of the learning cycle tends to incorporate the main
inquiry-based activity or experience, which encourages students to develop skills and
concepts. The teacher’s role is one of facilitator or consultant. In addition, students
are encouraged to work in a cooperative learning environment without direct
instruction from the teacher. This phase is also unique because the students are
given a “hands-on” experience before any formal explanation of terms, definitions, or
concepts are discussed or explained by the teacher. Modeling, experimenting,
document-based researching/analyzing, role-playing, project-based learning,
problem-based learning and carrying out simulations are some of the exploration-
based activities that can be adopted as the science teaching and learning strategies.

Explanation
A “minds-on” phase follows the exploration phase, and this is more teacher-
directed and guided by the students’ prior experience during the exploration phase.
The explanation phase enables students to describe their understanding and pose
questions about the concepts they have been exploring. It is likely that new questions
will be generated. The explanation phase is an essential, minds-on part of the 5E
lesson. Before the teacher attempts to provide an explanation, the students must first
have the opportunity to express their own explanations and ideas. Thus, the initial
part of the explanation phase is a time for the teacher to serve as a facilitator and ask
the students to describe and discuss their exploration learning experiences. After the
students have had the opportunity to share their own explanations, the teacher
introduces scientific and technical information in a direct manner. This phase
includes clarification of student misconceptions that may have emerged during the
engagement or exploration phases. Formal definitions, notes, and labels are
provided. The teacher may also decide to integrate video, computer software
programs, or other visual aides to help with student understanding. The students
should then be able to clearly explain the important concepts to the teacher and to
their peers.

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Elaboration
The activities in this phase of the learning cycle should encourage students to
apply their new understanding of concepts, while reinforcing new skills. Students are
encouraged to check for understanding with their peers, or to design new
experiments or models based on the new skills or concepts they have acquired. The
goal of this phase is to help develop deeper and broader understandings of the
concepts. Students may conduct additional investigations, develop products, share
information and ideas, or apply their knowledge and skills to other disciplines. This is
a great opportunity to integrate science with other content areas. Elaboration
activities may also integrate technology, such as web-based research or Web
Quests.

Evaluation
Assessment in an inquiry-based setting is very different to that in traditional
science lessons. Both formal and informal assessment approaches are appropriate,
and should be included. For instance, the use of non-traditional forms of assessment,
such as portfolios, performance-based assessment, concept maps, physical models,
or journal logs may serve as significant evidence of student learning. During an
inquiry-based lesson, assessment should be viewed as an ongoing process, with
teachers making observations of their students as they apply new concepts and skills
and looking for evidence that the students have changed or modified their thinking.
Students may also have the opportunity to conduct self assessment or peer-
assessment. However, the evaluation may also include a summative experience
such as a quiz, exam, or writing assignment.

The Four Levels of Inquiry

There are four levels of inquiry in IBSE, which progressing from the least to
the most open-ended: confirmation, structured, guided, and open inquiry:

Confirmation level lets students confirm a principle through an activity when the
answers are known in advance.
Structured level allows students to investigate a teacher-presented question
through a prescribed procedure.
Guided level lets students investigate a teacher-presented question using
procedures designed or selected by students.

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Open level allows students to investigate student-formulated questions using

procedures designed or selected by students; teachers provide input to ensure
the questions and procedures are appropriate.
Conclusion
The 5E Model—Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate—is a
widely used framework in science education that promotes active learning through a
structured approach. It begins with engaging students' interest, followed by exploring
concepts through hands-on activities, explaining ideas and principles, elaborating on
knowledge through further applications, and finally evaluating understanding.
Alongside this model, the 4 Levels of Inquiry categorize the degree of student
involvement in the learning process: (1) Confirmation Inquiry, where students confirm
a known fact; (2) Structured Inquiry, where students investigate a teacher-posed
question using a provided procedure; (3) Guided Inquiry, where students formulate
their own questions and design their investigations with some guidance; and (4)
Open Inquiry, where students independently identify questions, develop methods,
and conduct investigations. Together, the 5E Model and the levels of inquiry foster
critical thinking, problem-solving, and a deeper understanding of scientific concepts.