Content and inquiry in science : A study about how content is portrayed in educational materials and inquiry-based instruction in educational manuals

The aim of this study is to investigate how educational materials for science in the early school years are portraying information and facts. How the belonging educational manuals can be used as a complement to the content in the educational materials and their help for an inquiry-based instruction are also going to be investigated. Through analysis of the educational material and manuals, the following questions will be answered: How is the content in the educational materials portrayed? How can the educational manuals support an inquiry-based instruction? The content is categorized as established, explaining, reflecting/analyzing or normative distinction based on the theoretical division by Ammert (2011b). Analysis of how the educational manuals promotes inquiry is based on a level division by Banchi and Bell (2008) who describes four different levels of inquiry. Confirmation inquiry to an open inquiry. The results of this study indicates that the content in the investigated educational materials is mostly presented as established facts. Explaining and reflecting facts can be seen in at least one of the educational materials. The educational manuals can be a tool for teachers to make the instruction inquiry-based, but teachers have to make a lot out of the material themselves to reach an open inquiry