Guidance during inquiry learning produces a medium-to-large improvement in learners' use of inquiry skills during the inquiry¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · quant-synthesis r? · q4 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2016 · checked against its sources 2026-10-18 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q4 i2 Across 20 studies, guided inquiry led to more proficient use of inquiry skills than unguided inquiry, d = 0.66. → Lazonder 2016 q4 i? Neither outcome focus, publication type, study design, duration, nor type of guidance significantly moderated the effect on learning activities. → Lazonder 2016 (2)

Evidence¶

Lazonder 2016¶

Lazonder, A. W., & Harmsen, R. (2016). Meta-analysis of inquiry-based learning: Effects of guidance. Review of Educational Research, 86(3), 681-718. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315627366

q4 · i2 · quant-synthesis · r?

Random-effects meta-analysis of 20 of the 72 included studies assessing learning activities (N = 2,374). The summary effect was d = 0.66, and the authors report that "the true effect size is likely to fall in the range of 0.44 to 0.88, which according to Cohen (1988) can be considered a medium to large effect."

"there was a significant overall effect of guidance in that guided inquiry learning led to a more proficient use of inquiry skills than did unguided inquiry learning, z = 5.85, p < .001"

Lazonder 2016 (2)¶

Lazonder, A. W., & Harmsen, R. (2016). Meta-analysis of inquiry-based learning: Effects of guidance. Review of Educational Research, 86(3), 681-718. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315627366

q4 · i? · quant-synthesis · r?

Q-test moderator analyses in the same meta-analysis examined whether between-study variation in learning-activities effect sizes was attributable to basic study features. "Again no significant moderation effect was found" for type of guidance, so the overall effect did not differ by guidance type.

"Results showed that this was not the case, as neither outcome focus nor publication type, study design, and duration moderated the findings."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Teacher Guided Inquiry Outperforms Student Led — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it

- Guidance during inquiry learning improves post-inquiry learning outcomes (d = 0.50) — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it¶

• Guidance during inquiry learning improves performance success during the inquiry (d = 0.71), with type of guidance moderating this effect — related
• Inquiry Based Teaching Improves Science Achievement — related
• Guided discovery outperformed both unguided discovery and direct instruction in classic studies — related
• Enhanced discovery learning produces greater learning than other forms of instruction — related
• Minimally guided or unguided inquiry is less effective than explicit instruction, while adequately guided inquiry outperforms expository instruction (review attribution to Alfieri et al., 2011) — related
• Relatively guided instructional procedures are more effective than relatively unguided procedures for novice students — a broader claim this one bears on
• Guidance increases the effectiveness of inquiry-based learning, and all six guidance types were equally effective — related