Effects of Inquiry-Based Learning on Individual Student’s Attitudes

(Kyoto Koka Women’s University, Japan)

Abstract: This study focuses on a high school in Kyoto Prefecture that promotes inquiry-based learning, and examines changes in students’ attitudes toward this mode of learning and their future focus as they progress through the school year. The results showed that while the class average did not show any change in students’ attitude toward inquiry learning as they progressed through the school year, there was a change for individual students. It was also found that the group whose perspective of inquiry-based learning changed positively (the positive group), tended to have a more positive attitude toward “working together with others” (p < 0.05), and they were more explicit about “what they wanted to focus on while in high school” (p < 0.1). Furthermore, with regard to “Do you have a better perspective of the future and want to act toward it?” the positive group tended (had a significant tendency) to have a better focus in terms of the future and work toward it. These results suggest the importance of focusing not only on the tendency of the class as a whole, but also on individual students, in order to examine the effects of inquiry learning. 

Key words: inquiry-based learning, high school-university collaboration, career awareness