Effectiveness of a model-based inquiry instructional sequence in overcoming students’ teaching-learning difficulties on plant nutrition

Abstract

This work conveys the results of an iterative investigation conducted within the Design-Based Research framework. The primary objective was to develop and assess a Teaching-Learning Sequence (TLS) aimed at enhancing secondary students’ mental models about the traditionally challenging topic of plant nutrition. The design of this innovative TLS was guided by previous research and it was grounded in the Model-Based Inquiry approach as it allows to integrate scientific practices and models. To gauge the success of the TLS and contribute to the literature on the effective instruction of plant nutrition this study followed a pre–post quasi-experimental design. Thus, a preliminary (TLS1; N = 95) and a refined version (TLS2; N = 110) of the TLS were implemented and compared against a group studying through direct instruction (Control; N = 109). The analysis of the pre–post questionnaires yielded three main outcomes: (1) The results revealed that students undergoing the specifically designed TLSs attained mental models resembling the target curriculum model thereby proving their effectiveness over the control intervention. (2) The study identified salient TLS design elements (e.g. hands-on modelling, tracing matter and energy, etc.) that enriched students’ learning outcomes on the topic. (3) Finally, the findings unveiled inherent benefits of the Model-Based Inquiry approach.