PROFILES Three Stage Model (Scenario, Inquiry, Decision-making)

Design · All designs
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 1 study (1 causal), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description

The PROFILES Three Stage Model is a science-education approach that organises learning in three phases: "the Scenario Stage", "the Inquiry Stage", and "the Decision-making Stage". It "aims to arouse students’ intrinsic motivation through a student-familiar, socio-scientific context (the Scenario Stage), to offer a meaningful inquiry-based learning environment (the Inquiry Stage), and to use science learning in deciding on socio-scientific issues (the Decision-making Stage)". In this study it structures a medicine education environment ('Flu') emphasising critical thinking, with the three phases kept interconnected rather than handled separately.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

• The three phases should not be handled separately; continuous professional development should strengthen the interconnectedness of the Model components

Constraints

• Applied here to a six-hour medicine education module for primary school teacher students in biology education

Target Learners

• primary school teacher students
• primary school students in grades 4-6 (original module design)

Learning Goals

• critical thinking
• problem solving and decision-making
• argumentation and reasoning skills
• inquiry skills

Claims

• Structuring Supports Argumentation Decision Making Stage [+M]
• Scaffolding Improves Information Seeking In Collaborative Inquiry [+M]

Related Designs

Examples

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Key Sources

• Sirpa Kärkkäinen, Jari Kukkonen and Tuula Keinonen. (2014). Scaffolding in a Medicine Education Intervention for Student Teachers Based on the PROFILES Three Stage Model. ceps Journal, Vol. 4, No. 1. https://journals.cepsj.si

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	design
id	profiles-three-stage-model
title	PROFILES Three Stage Model (Scenario, Inquiry, Decision-making)
description	The PROFILES Three Stage Model is a science-education approach that organises learning in three phases: "the Scenario Stage", "the Inquiry Stage", and "the Decision-making Stage".
status	review
generated	by process:settle-candidates on 2026-11-01
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources	1 — sirpa-kärkkäinen-2014

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