Abstract
On the level of European education policy, inquiry-based teaching and learning is met with high expectations to raise the standards of mathematical and scientific literacy. It is considered the method of choice to increase students’ interest as well as their achievement. Even though inquiry-based learning (IBL) is widely accepted as a means of improving education, there is still no common understanding that connects the various approaches. This chapter gives an overview of numerous IBL conceptions. In order to study the potentials and challenges of implementing IBL on a European scale, an empirically based overview of the existing situation in selected European countries is presented. It is based on data from the PRIMAS baseline study which investigates the issues of intensifying IBL from the perspective of mathematics and science teachers. The baseline data are analysed with respect to subject-specific effects and differences in the various teaching cultures across Europe. Additionally, findings from the COMPASS project are discussed that demonstrate the challenges of renewing pedagogy in actual teaching practice.
COMPASS has been funded with support from the European Commission (503635-LLP-1-2009-1-DE-COMENIUS-CMP). This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
PRIMAS has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement n° 244380. This chapter reflects only the author’s views and the European Union is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.
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Notes
- 1.
It is not possible to make a reference to the PISA study, because within PISA the different science subjects are not treated separately.
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Engeln, K., Mikelskis-Seifert, S., Euler, M. (2014). Inquiry-Based Mathematics and Science Education Across Europe: A Synopsis of Various Approaches and Their Potentials. In: Bruguière, C., Tiberghien, A., Clément, P. (eds) Topics and Trends in Current Science Education. Contributions from Science Education Research, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7281-6_14
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