Is less always more? What PISA 2015 can actually tell us about inquiry-based science teaching practices
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- International large-scale assessments, including the International Program for Student Assessment (PISA), influence both educational policy and practice. Studies based on results from the 2015 survey described a negative relationship the frequency of inquiry-based science instruction and student scientific literacy scores. Based on this correlation, PISA's parent organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), recommended that inquiry-based instructional practices be approached with caution. PISA's recommendation conflicts with numerous classroom-based studies, which have found that inquiry-based instruction improves student learning. Furthermore, due to PISA's influence, articles for science teachers claiming that inquiry-based instruction is ineffective now cite PISA results as supporting evidence. This dissertation uses data from PISA 2015 and student interviews to better understand the nature of this relationship. By closely examining the assumptions inherent in the primary analysis of PISA 2015 data using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, this set of studies challenges PISA's claim about inquiry-based instructional practices. The analyses indicate at least four areas in which threats to validity warrant wariness about the PISA recommendation that inquiry-based practice may not be effective. First, analyses should account for the multidimensionality of the PISA enquiry-driven instruction index. Second, linear models may not accurately describe the relationship between student-reported frequencies of inquiry-based instruction and scientific literacy scores, so other models should be explored. Third, measurement invariance for students from different SES quartiles suggests that either the items or the efficacy of inquiry-based instruction vary for students from different groups and a more nuanced perspective is needed before developing recommendations. Finally, student interpretations of the items and response space require more study if we are to use the questionnaire responses to describe the activities students have in mind and their frequencies. Together, these findings suggest that the OCED recommendations about science instructional practices should be reconsidered. Alternative interpretive models and recommendations for practice are discussed.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic resource; remote; computer; online resource |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Place | California |
| Place | [Stanford, California] |
| Publisher | [Stanford University] |
| Copyright date | 2021; ©2021 |
| Publication date | 2021; 2021 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Dozier, Sara Joslyn |
|---|---|
| Degree supervisor | Carlson, Janet, (Associate research professor of education) |
| Degree supervisor | Osborne, Jonathan |
| Thesis advisor | Carlson, Janet, (Associate research professor of education) |
| Thesis advisor | Osborne, Jonathan |
| Thesis advisor | Domingue, Ben |
| Degree committee member | Domingue, Ben |
| Associated with | Stanford University, Graduate School of Education |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|---|
| Genre | Text |
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Sara Joslyn Dozier. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Graduate School of Education. |
| Thesis | Thesis Ph.D. Stanford University 2021. |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/bx081nj4567 |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2021 by Sara Joslyn Dozier
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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