The use of modified Argument Driven Inquiry to improve student motivation and achievement in Science

Since the development of the Next Generation Science Standards, students have been encouraged to use higher-order thinking skills to master learning objectives in the Science laboratory. One of the newer methods used by science educators is Argument-Driven Inquiry or ADI. Using the ADI model, students use a seven-step process to collaborate, create experiments, apply new ideas, and reflect on learning to reach conclusions. The 7-week study compares a modified form of the Argument Driven Inquiry (ADI) model to more traditional science teaching techniques used in the high school Anatomy and Physiology classroom. It also assesses the effects of the two models on student motivation and achievement in science. 69 students in two comparison groups are participating in a quasi-experimental study. Before and after the study, students are surveyed using the Students’ Motivation Towards Science Learning (SMTSL) questionnaire to evaluate the following constructs of motivation: “self-efficacy, [student use of] active learning strategies, science learning value, performance goal, achievement goal, and learning environment stimulation” (Tuan, Chin, & Shieh, 2005, p.643). Student achievement is evaluated using a pretest, posttest, and three segment quizzes. The purpose of the study is to determine: 1) which of the two instructional methods, ADI or traditional, improved student content knowledge, and 2) which of the two instructional methods caused a change in student motivation regarding the six individual constructs in the high school science classroom. Keywords: Argument Driven Inquiry, Science, Argument, Inquiry, Motivation, Achievement, AD