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Mandatory whole-class participation in partnered inquiry programming to reach reluctant high-ability students

Design · All designs
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 design), q3 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description

Discovery's design pattern is whole-class, mandatory participation in a term-long partnered inquiry project, chosen deliberately for inclusivity: "The mandatory nature of program participation was established to reach highly capable students who may be reluctant to engage on their own initiative, as a means of enhancing the inclusivity and impact of the program." Students work as full class cohorts with their teacher and graduate mentors rather than as self-selected volunteers, which the article links to building a relevant learning community and to capturing under-engaged students.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

  • A post-secondary partner able to provide facilities, graduate student mentors, and co-developed curriculum with teachers 1–2 months before each term

Constraints

  • Requires institutional investment and accessible post-secondary collaboration; the second-school replication had only two terms, and the authors call for larger collections to separate SES and cohort effects

Target Learners

  • All students in a senior science class cohort, including capable students reluctant to opt in voluntarily

Learning Goals

  • STEM persistence and interest
  • Critical thinking and problem-solving practice within curriculum subjects

Claims

Examples

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Key Sources

  • Davenport Huyer, L., Callaghan, N. I., Dicks, S., Scherer, E., Shukalyuk, A. I., Jou, M. & Kilkenny, D. (2020). Enhancing senior high school student engagement and academic performance using an inclusive and scalable inquiry-based program. npj Science of Learning 5:17. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-020-00076-2
Page metadata
Field Value
type design
id mandatory-whole-class-inquiry-participation
title Mandatory whole-class participation in partnered inquiry programming to reach reluctant high-ability students
description Discovery's design pattern is whole-class, mandatory participation in a term-long partnered inquiry project, chosen deliberately for inclusivity: "The mandatory nature of program participation was established to reach...
status review
generated by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-26
trust unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources 1 — davenport-huyer-2020

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