Embedding generative and retrieval activities to foster inquiry-based learning in science classrooms

在探究性教学中，帮助学生构建复杂而持久的知识是一项至关重要的努力。与此同时，实证研究表明，学生需要支持来构建可以跨情境和长期应用的心理表征。生成性学习活动和检索活动被讨论有助于这种细化和巩固过程。是否以及如何将这些活动结合起来，以及如何将它们嵌入到更大的教学单元中，以最大限度地构建和巩固持久的知识，这仍然是一个悬而未决的问题。因此，在拟议的研究中，我们将融合领域认知科学研究和特定学科科学（物理）教育的研究，以得出关于在探究式教学背景下生成和检索活动有效性的结论。本研究计划的主要目的是调查a)将生成性活动（向虚构的他人解释、绘图）和检索活动（检索实践）整合到探究性教学中，是否能增强精细心理表征的构建和持久知识的获取；b)如何将不同的生成活动相互结合，并与检索活动相结合，嵌入到更全面的教学单元中，以培养持久的知识。这些研究问题将在三个8年级物理学生的实验课堂研究中解决，这也将包括8周后的中期和延迟测试。为了描绘诱导的学习过程，由学习活动产生的工件将服从于内容分析。

Assisting students in constructing elaborate and lasting knowledge is a crucial endeavor in inquiry-based teaching. At the same time, empirical research indicated that students require support to construct mental representation that can be applied across contexts and in a long-term manner. Generative learning activities as well as retrieval activities are discussed to contribute to such elaboration and consolidation processes. Whether and how these activities should be combined and how they should be embedded into larger instructional units to maximize the construction and consolidation of lasting knowledge is yet an open question. In the proposed research, we will therefore blend research of domain-general cognitive science research and subject-specific science (physics) education to draw conclusions regarding the effectiveness of generative and retrieval activities in the context of inquiry-based teaching. The main aim of this research proposal is to investigate a) whether integrating generative activities (explaining to fictitious others, drawing) and retrieval activities (retrieval practice) into inquiry-based teaching enhances the construction of elaborate mental representations and the acquisition of lasting knowledge, and b) how different generative activities can be combined with each other and with retrieval activities and embedded into more comprehensive teaching units to foster lasting knowledge. These research questions will be addressed in three experimental classroom studies with 8 grade physics students, which will also entail both intermediate and delayed testing after 8 weeks. To portray the induced learning processes, the artifacts resulting from the learning activities will be subject to content analyses.