Learning biology through research papers: a stimulus for question-asking by high-school students

Area of Science:

• Developmental Biology Education
• Science Education Research
• Inquiry-Based Learning

Background:

• Scientific thinking development relies on question-asking skills.
• Traditional science lessons often fail to stimulate student inquiry.
• High school students need effective methods to engage with the scientific process.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of learning through research papers on students' question-posing abilities.
• To compare the effectiveness of research paper-based learning versus textbook-based learning in fostering scientific inquiry.
• To analyze the types of questions students ask at different stages of instruction.

Main Methods:

• Developed a developmental biology curriculum using high-school-appropriate research papers.
• Assessed student questions (properties, comparisons, causal relationships) before, during, and after instruction.
• Monitored oral questions asked during lessons.
• Compared outcomes between students learning via research papers and those using a textbook.

Main Results:

• Students primarily asked 'properties' questions before instruction with research papers.
• Instruction with research papers led to students posing higher-level, unique questions (comparisons, causal relationships).
• No significant increase in higher-level questioning was observed when using a textbook.

Conclusions:

• Learning through research papers effectively stimulates question-asking in high school students.
• This approach promotes higher levels of thinking and uniqueness in student inquiries.
• Research paper-based learning is a viable strategy to enhance scientific inquiry skills.