The Effectiveness of Inquiry and Computer Based Learning in Remediation of Science Students

The state of Virginia requires science Standards of Learning tests to be conducted as a graduation requirement as well as a measure of teacher performance. In an attempt to increase graduation rates, the state has adopted an expedited retake policy allowing certain students to retest if their scores were close to passing but fell short. No requirement, however, was given as to the means of remediation that the students must attend in order to retest. This quantitative study examined the effectiveness of three instructional strategies in improving student performance during the retest. A quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group design was used to examine two variables—inquiry-based instruction and computer-based instruction—and their effectiveness in raising SOL scores for students in the remediation program compared to the traditional method of direct instruction utilized in an urban southeastern Virginia public school district