Hands-On vs Inquiry-Based Learning

Not all science education is created equal. Experts in educational sciences have long reported that the standard methodology of teaching in America’s classrooms do not adequately facilitate learning for most students. This is particularly true for science education, where students are generally taught through textbooks, rote memorization, or cookbook laboratory activities.

Scientists agree that the methods of early childhood education are better suited for science instruction due to the less-structured approach to learning. In recent years, many early childhood educators have embraced the learning-through-play approach. This hands-on method of instruction is has been shown to increase children’s understanding and enjoyment of learning, however, a recent paper has demonstrated that hands-on activities are still not as effective as inquiry-based activities.

In this paper, researchers asked elementary and secondary educators to complete three science tasks. The teachers were randomly assigned to a station and at the end of each session, they would move to the next activity. The first station was a structured activity where students followed instructions, which told them how to make the foam using detergent and eggbeaters. The second station was a goal-centered activity where students received a challenge to build a tower of foam that was at least twelve inches high, and at the third station was an inquiry-based exploration where students were asked to make foam but were not provided any instructions on how to complete this task.

This study found that teachers who completed the inquiry-based station first approached the other stations with more enthusiasm and took more initiative when completing the other two tasks compared to educators who had started out with structured activities. In a follow-up interview, a teacher reported that while she had initially believed the structured activity was more feasible for the classroom, she reported that the only learning she retained was from the inquiry-based station.

This suggests that while hands-on activities are more beneficial than screen-based or instructional-based methods of learning, inquiry-based activities lead to rich comprehension and retention of information, student enjoyment, and confidence in STEM.