Inquiry-Based Learning Practices in Lower-Secondary Mathematics Education Reported by Students from China and the Nether
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Inquiry-Based Learning Practices in Lower-Secondary Mathematics Education Reported by Students from China and the Netherlands Luhuan Huang 1
& Michiel
Doorman 1 & Wouter van Joolingen 1
Received: 1 October 2019 / Accepted: 17 August 2020/ # The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Inquiry-based learning (IBL) emphasizes learning through experiencing and constructing. Where IBL is often applied in science education, the conceptualization of IBL practices in mathematics education is less obvious. We compared students’ reports on IBL practices in two different teaching cultures as an attempt to better understand IBL practices in connection with overarching teaching cultures. In this study, we investigated IBL practices in lower-secondary mathematics lessons in the Beijing area and the Netherlands through a survey about the experiences and preferences of 858 Chinese students and 441 Dutch students. Results show that students from the Beijing sample reported experiencing IBL activities in most mathematics lessons, while students from the Dutch sample reported them in some lessons, and both preferred the same amount of IBL activities as they experienced. The Dutch sample reported little experience with posing questions to tackle. The study also suggests a correlation between IBL experience and IBL preference of each class: students with more IBL experience are likely to show a higher preference for IBL activities. Results of this study do not confirm expectations based on stereotypes about the two teaching cultures. The students’ perspective in both samples suggests that providing complex problems and organizing group work have potential for further encouraging IBL in mathematics. Keywords Comparative study . Inquiry-based learning . Lower-secondary education .
Mathematics education . Student perspective
* Luhuan Huang [email protected] Michiel Doorman [email protected] Wouter van Joolingen [email protected] Extended author information available on the last page of the article
L. Huang et al.
Introduction Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is a teaching approach which emphasizes learning through experiencing and constructing. IBL encourages students’ autonomy in the learning process and involves student-centered learning activities such as problemsolving, investigation, and collaboration. Since “inquiry” used to be employed almost exclusively to describe science (Ibrahim, Aulls, & Shore, 2017), and IBL emerged in science education, the conceptualization of IBL practices in mathematics education is less obvious (Artigue & Blomhøj, 2013). Teaching is considered as a cultural activity (Cai, Mok, Reddy, & Stacey, 2016), and as IBL is a teaching approach, the use of IBL may be impacted by teaching cultures. Comparing IBL practices in contexts of different teaching cultures tends to reveal particular features that can be explained by each teaching culture and the shared features crossing cultural boundaries, which leads to a better understanding of the current IBL practices. Teaching cultures in East Asia and in the West are considered t
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