Student Voices Reflect Inquiry Chemistry Learning Goals: Increased Motivation and Efficacy Attributed to Scientific Practices and Sense-Making

Abstract

The student voice in inquiry learning is barely a whisper in the research literature. To amplify their voices, student focus group interviews were conducted during a college course designed to build a community of scientific practice. The course was organized to try to change student epistemic perspectives about science (from right or wrong facts to a self-correcting process driven by models and evidence) and to support development of intrinsic motivation to participate (from “I cannot” to “I can” do this). The course had interdisciplinary scope around core chemistry concepts centered on the particulate nature of matter and structure/property relationships. All 21 students participated in focus groups midway and at the end of the course. Analysis of student comments delineated four themes: knowledge/epistemic development, peer interaction, ownership, and self-perception of competence. These student-identified themes aligned with the course design features. Students expressed feelings of control and ownership of the scientific process. They perceived a nonauthoritarian atmosphere that welcomed questions and uncertainty, that supported exploring and testing ideas, and that they claimed increased their intrinsic motivation for doing science. Notably, students report that this positive science learning experience was rarely encountered in other science learning environments.