The impact of technology on the enactment of "inquiry" in a technology enthusiast's sixth grade science classroom

Noemi Waight, Fouad Abd-El-Khalick

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of the use of computer technology on the enactment of "inquiry" in a sixth grade science classroom. Participants were 42 students (38% female) enrolled in two sections of the classroom and taught by a technology-enthusiast instructor. Data were collected over the course of 4 months during which several "inquiry" activities were completed, some of which were supported with the use of technology. Non-participant observation, classroom videotaping, and semistructured and critical-incident interviews were used to collect data. The results indicated that the technology in use worked to restrict rather than promote "inquiry" in the participant classroom. In the presence of computers, group activities became more structured with a focus on sharing tasks and accounting for individual responsibility, and less time was dedicated to group discourse with a marked decrease in critical, meaning-making discourse. The views and beliefs of teachers and students in relation to their specific contexts moderate the potential of technology in supporting inquiry teaching and learning and should be factored both in teacher training and attempts to integrate technology in science teaching.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)154-182
Number of pages29
JournalJournal of Research in Science Teaching
Volume44
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2007

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Education

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