Questions in science textbooks : do they prompt students' inquiry and problem-based learning?

Abstract

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an inquiry-based learning approach that fosters the development of students’ autonomy as learners, and enables them to develop life-long learning competences. Problems and their underlying questions are building blocks of PBL approaches. Thus, questioning in science classes and textbooks can foster the development of students’ inquiry and problem-solving competences. As teachers’ teaching practices seem to depend on textbooks, this study compares the way the three Physical and the three Natural Sciences most sold textbooks deal with questions when developing the Earth in Transformation curriculum theme. This analysis focuses on: localization and function of the questions; nature of the answers demanded; and cognitive level of the questions. Results reveal that: only Natural Sciences textbooks use questions in the opening of the theme and its units; Physical Sciences textbooks have larger numbers of questions than the Natural Sciences ones do, being most of them connecting and knowledge application questions; both subjects’ textbooks are similar in what concerns using questions as section titles and giving explicit answers to questions; Physical Sciences textbooks have a much larger number of non-guided answer demanding questions; whatever the subject, the number of high-level thinking demanding questions is low. These findings indicate that most science textbook questions can hardly promote student’s inquiry and PBL.