INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON INQUIRY IN SECONDARY SCIENCE

Inquiry, as both an instructional method and as a curriculum goal, is a common theme in science education reforms in both North America and Europe. This paper will initiate a discussion on the definitions and practice of inquiry in three countries; United Kingdom, Czech Republic and United States. Each national context will describe how inquiry is defined in both the relevant cur-riculums and in the academic publications. The assumptions will be identified that influenced the understanding of inquiry and the relationship to the science process skills, science literacy and the nature of science. The practiced curriculum will then be presented demonstrating how inquiry as both instruction and curriculum is practiced. National conditions and factors that encourage or impede inquiry will be discussed. A summary will examine common themes across the different national contexts.