Open inquiry-based learning in physics in middle school : dynamic inquiry performance and the development of metacognitive awareness (Hebrew)

Integrating open inquiry processes into science education is a cornerstone of science and biology instruction, with various studies demonstrating that it significantly enhances student achievement. In contrast, this practice is seldom utilized in physics, particularly at the middle school level. This specific stage represents students' initial exposure to the discipline, a critical juncture considering that very few students choose to major in physics in high school.

The present study sought to examine the implementation of open inquiry in middle school physics through three research questions, integrating quantitative and qualitative paradigms. The first question focused on characterizing open inquiry performance in middle school physics. The second examined how metacognitive awareness is manifested during the open inquiry process in physics. The third explored the relationship between open inquiry performance and the development of metacognitive awareness.

The study employed a mixed-methods design, characterized by the integration of quantitative and qualitative research instruments. Participants included 68 students from two seventh-grade "Mofet" classes (gifted and talented tracks specializing in mathematics and physics) in a middle school in central Israel. The two classes were comparable in size and academic achievement. Prior to the inquiry activity, the students studied the topics of density, motion, and forces. They were then divided into small groups (mostly comprising 3–4 participants) to conduct an open inquiry experiment. This process was supported by structured guidelines in an inquiry journal, alongside the completion of a reflective travel log. The inquiry journals were evaluated using a designated index designed to assess instruction-based dynamic inquiry performance. The travel logs were evaluated using a metacognitive awareness assessment index tailored to the executed inquiry process.

In response to the first research question, this section focused on describing and characterizing the process as executed by the students. Within this framework, students demonstrated how they navigated between the various inquiry stages—from formulating an inquiry question to concluding—under a high degree of learner autonomy. The qualitative analysis yielded five emerging categories: phenomenon focusing and inquiry question construction; conceptual branching and expansion of the inquiry space; independent and systematic construction of the research methodology; data processing and conclusion drawing; and advanced reflection and proposals for future directions. These categories were found to align with the dynamic inquiry performance categories recognized in the research literature.

In response to the second research question, which examined students' metacognitive awareness during the process, the analysis of students' travel logs aimed to uncover their metacognitive processes throughout the inquiry—from the planning and initiation stages to the final evaluation of the process. Through the qualitative analysis process, five categories were identified based on the theoretical model of metacognitive awareness (Schraw et al., 2006): inquiry planning, process management, process monitoring, error detection and correction, and process evaluation.

The third research question examined the quantitative relationship between dynamic open inquiry performance and metacognitive awareness during an open inquiry process in middle school physics, across both the team-level sample and the individual student sample. The findings indicated that the research hypothesis was partially validated. In the student sample, significant direct relationships were found between the level of metacognitive awareness in the categories of inquiry planning and process management and the level of open inquiry performance in the data representation category. Furthermore, significant direct relationships emerged between the level of metacognitive awareness in the categories of process monitoring and error detection and correction and the level of open inquiry performance in the categories of understanding the inquiry construction process, results and conclusion drawing, and future outlook.

An additional relationship identified in this sample was a significant direct correlation between the level of metacognitive awareness in the process evaluation category and the level of open inquiry performance in the future outlook category.

In the team-level sample, significant direct relationships were found between the level of metacognitive awareness in the process management evaluation and process monitoring categories and the level of open inquiry performance in the future outlook category. Additionally, a significant direct relationship was found between metacognitive awareness in the error detection and correction category and the level of open inquiry performance in the understanding of the inquiry construction process category.

Hierarchical regression analyses were also conducted in this study to estimate the relative and cumulative contributions of the students' personal background characteristics, team characteristics, and the level of metacognitive awareness in predicting inquiry performance. These analyses revealed a direct contribution between the level of metacognitive awareness in the measures of error detection and correction and inquiry process monitoring and the level of open inquiry performance in the domain of understanding the inquiry construction process. The analyses also revealed a negative relationship between the level of metacognitive awareness in the process evaluation measure and the level of inquiry performance in the understanding of the inquiry construction process category.

Furthermore, gender and the number of students per team were found to be positive predictors of inquiry performance in the understanding of the inquiry construction process category. The number of students per team also emerged as a sole predictor for the open inquiry performance category of future outlook.

Additionally, a significant and direct predictive relationship was found between the level of metacognitive awareness in the inquiry planning category and the open inquiry performance category of data representation.

The findings of this study clearly indicate that integrating open inquiry into middle school physics is highly feasible and constitutes an effective tool for developing learners' metacognitive awareness. This is particularly noteworthy despite the existing gap in the field, where most students are exposed exclusively to structured inquiry or are not exposed to inquiry practices at all.

Moreover, this study can inform the development of resolute, inquiry-based physics curricula at various levels. In addition, the findings support a change in thinking in the perception of the teacher's classroom role, transitioning from a "transmitter of knowledge" to that of a "mentor."