The Effect of Inquiry-Based Learning on Pharmacist Students

To compare the efficacy of Jigsaw and Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) methods in promoting effective learning outcomes within diverse dental educational settings. A total of 188 dental undergraduate students were recruited for the study and divided into Batch A (n=96) and Batch B (n=92). Each batch underwent two teaching sessions, one using the Jigsaw method and the other using IBL. A structured questionnaire using five-point Likert scales assessed students' preferences between the two methods. Pre- and post-intervention tests were conducted to measure knowledge acquisition. Statistical analysis was performed using Student's t-test with STATA version 17, with a p-value of<0.05 considered significant. Both Jigsaw and IBL methods significantly improved students' knowledge, with mean scores showing a significant difference before and after interventions (p<0.001). IBL was more effective in comprehensive topic coverage (99.46%) and enhancing subject understanding. Both methods yielded comparable outcomes in terms of improving communication skills. The Jigsaw method was simpler and more enjoyable, encouraging active participation and enhancing communication skills. IBL promoted critical thinking, research skills, and deeper comprehension of concepts. Jigsaw and IBL methods are both effective in enhancing dental education. The choice between these methods depends on the specific learning objectives, the complexity of the topic, and the preferences of the dental educator and students.

Objective: To implement a new health promotion course as part of pharmacy public health practices and to identify pharmacy students’ knowledge, perceived role and self-efficacy with respect to what was learned through this. Method: A total of 119 fifth-year pharmacy students undertook a new health promotion course in a pharmacy school in Yogyakarta. A questionnaire consisting of 30-item knowledge scale, a 6-item perceived-role scale, and a 9-adjective self-efficacy scale was used to measure students’ knowledge and attitudes before and after the new course. Results: Of the 119 pharmacy students completing the questionnaire, 77% were female, with a mean age of 22.8 years, and 79% had BPharm degree with a grade point average in excess of 3.00. A significant post intervention improvement ( p &lt; .001) was found in terms of knowledge, perceived role and self-efficacy. The majority of students perceived that their involvement in health promotion activities would help the community and have a positive impact on their future careers. Conclusion: Pharmacy students gained positive knowledge, perceived role and self-efficacy towards a health promotion course. Strategies to ensure that positive attitudes translate into actual behaviours of engaging in health promotion activities are needed. Sustainability and the integration of health promotion activities into the curriculum of pharmacy schools nation-wide in Indonesia should be encouraged.

AimTo assess the effect of a health promotion course on knowledge and attitudes towards chronic non‐communicable diseases (CNCDs) among undergraduate students in a Jordanian university.DesignA one‐group pre‐test–post‐test study design was used.MethodsA convenience sample of 178 undergraduate students registered in a 3‐credit health promotion course was enrolled in the study and completed both pre‐ and post‐tests. This course is offered as an elective course for undergraduate students by the Faculty of Nursing at a large public university in Jordan. Twelve, one‐hour interactive sessions regarding CNCDs topics were delivered over 3 weeks as part of the health promotion course. A computer‐based questionnaire was used to evaluate students’ knowledge and attitudes towards CNCDs including diabetes, hypertension and cancer, before and after undertaking the course.ResultsThere was a significant improvement in the overall knowledge (Cohen's d effect size (d) = 1.08) and attitudes (d = 0.62) among all the students, regardless of gender. The overall knowledge and attitudes scores were significantly higher among females in the pre‐test, but the differences in their overall scores became insignificant in the post‐test. Education on specific topics was effective in improving university students’ knowledge and attitudes about health‐promoting behaviours, thereby preventing CNCDs. It is important to incorporate health promotion education regarding CNCDs into university curricula using innovative approaches to enhance healthy behaviours in young adults.

Two case studies were conducted to examine whether inquiry-based learning (IBL) can help students in understanding normal distributions, and to determine if IBL methods have any effect on students' conceptual and computational capabilities. There were 16 students in the traditional class and 17 students in the IBL-implemented class who participated in each of two case studies. The experimental group performed significantly better than the control group in terms of conceptual understanding and computational skills. These outcomes suggest that IBL methods such as discussions, asking questions, and guided lectures helped students to develop statistical reasoning.

Using inquiry-based learning, this study investigates high school students' achievement in plane geometry. It employed the pre-test-post-test randomized experimental design, often known as the control group design. The participants (students) were randomly assigned to one of two classes/groups and were given either an intervention (the treatment group) or no intervention (the control group). One hundred and twenty (120) third-year high school students of similar mathematical aptitude (a control group = 60 students; an experimental group = 60 students) were chosen from a high school in Ghana's central region. Shapiro-Wilk had a p-value greater than.05 (p &gt;.05) for each statistic, indicating that both the pre-test and post-test scores were normally distributed, before and after the test. The findings of the independent samples t-test showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the experimental and control pre-test scores (t = -.48, p &gt;.05, C. I = [-1.78, 1.08]). The one-way ANOVA after inquiry-based learning showed a significant effect on student scores, F (1, 118) = 363.41, p &lt; .05). Furthermore, independent samples t-test findings for the post-test showed statistically significant differences between the experimental and control post-test scores (t = -22.68, p &lt; .05, C. I = [-24.29, 20.40]). The study's implications are that students can make their own connections with the content they learn. They may also comprehend the themes rather than simply recalling rules and formulas. The study concludes that inquiry-based learning improves senior high school students’ achievement in plane geometry.

Introduction. Teaching evolutionary principles in a health promotion course may increase the relevance of evolutionary theory to students, enrich biological understanding of disease, and provide a unique perspective on how evolution can affect human health and disease. This pilot study examined the extent to which evolution instruction in an undergraduate college-level health promotion course affects learning the fundamental concepts of evolution by natural selection, student misconceptions of evolution, and student acceptance of evolution, compared with evolution instruction in a biology course. Methods. Pre–post course surveys measured student understanding of evolution measured with the Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection, student misconception related to endorsement of teleological reasoning, and student level of acceptance of evolution, along with several demographic variables. Ninety-four ( n = 94) undergraduate student participants were enrolled in one of three courses: an Evolution-Health course, an Evolution-Biology course, and a Human Physiology course. Results. Students significantly improved their Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection scores in both Evolution-Health ( p = .0005) and Evolution-Biology ( p = .015). Student misconceptions of evolution significantly decreased ( p = .0034), and acceptance of human evolution increased ( p = .031) in the Evolution-Health course only. Change in natural selection understanding over the course of the semester was modestly negatively correlated with change in teleological reasoning ( r = −.21, p = 0.047), such that students with larger decreases in teleological reasoning had greater learning gains in natural selection understanding. Conclusions. This study provides preliminary evidence that evolutionary instruction in a college-level health promotion context improves understanding of fundamental evolutionary concepts, decreases student misconceptions related to teleological reasoning, and improves acceptance of human evolution.

The ability of teachers to adopt inquiry-based learning depends to a large extent on their knowledge, skills, perception, and attitudes toward it. Therefore, it is important to explore the preservice teachers&amp;rsquo; experience of learning and teaching with this method, with the assistance and mediation of preservice teachers&amp;rsquo; educators. Preservice teachers participated in a blended course to acquire the teaching skills needed for inquiry-based learning, at the same time gained experience teaching based on this approach in high schools in Israel. The study included 120 preservice teachers who completed questionnaires at the beginning of the course (first measurement) and at the end of the course (second measurement). The findings show that between the two measurements there was an increase in positive attitude toward inquiry-based learning and teaching. Most of the participants noted the difficulties they encountered in applying the inquiry-based method in teaching in schools. In the course of teaching with this method, they acquired tools to cope with these difficulties.

This study investigated the effect of the inquiry-based learning strategy on the pedagogical knowledge gains of in-service teacher trainees. Pedagogical knowledge acquired through professional development is significant in preparing competent teachers who can positively influence educational quality and student learning outcomes. As widely recognized by educators, inquiry-based learning is an active learning approach that enhances the quality of learning. It is a pedagogical approach designed to foster higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills. In this study, a quasi-experimental research design with pre-test and post-test measures of general pedagogy knowledge was employed. Two intact classes of teachers ( N = 56) participated in the study, with one class assigned as the intervention group ( n = 28) and the other as the comparison group ( n = 28). Data were collected using a survey questionnaire completed by the participating teachers and a pre-test consisting of 20 multiple-choice items assessing general pedagogical knowledge. After twenty-four hours of instruction on general pedagogy concepts, during which the inquiry-based learning method was applied to the intervention group, a post-test using the same 20 multiplechoice questions (MCQs) was administered. The results of the study showed a statistically significant gain in general pedagogical knowledge for the intervention group, with a small effect size (Cohen's d= 0.48). These findings imply that teacher education colleges and universities should consider integrating innovative instructional approaches, including inquiry-based learning, into professional development programs for in-service teachers as well as in the preparation of preservice teachers. Further research on the use of active learning strategies, including inquiry-based methods, is recommended.

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is regarded as an effective model for cultivating higher-order thinking skills but the precise components that enhance critical thinking skills remain inadequately comprehended. This study aims to investigate the impact of IBL on critical thinking skills in further detail. A literature search was performed utilizing the Scopus and ERIC databases for publications from 2000 to 2024. Specifically, quantitative empirical studies were reviewed with pre-experimental or quasi-experimental designs. 25 articles (divided into 36 studies) were selected and showed a substantial mean effect size of 1.27 [95% confidence interval: 0.78; 1.76], indicating a significant impact of IBL. Substantial heterogeneity (I² = 92.0%) indicated contextual variation, which necessitated subgroup analysis based on educational level, teaching strategies, information and communications technology utilization, duration, and evaluation. The findings highlight nuances in applying IBL and propose evidence-based recommendations to optimize its application in education, thus significantly contributing to the discussion on effective pedagogies for developing critical thinking skills.

In recent years, there have been numerous papers discussing the importance of improving the link between health promotion researchers and practitioners. Several reviews have been undertaken to determine the extent to which health promotion research is disseminated to, and utilized by, practitioners in the development and implementation of health promotion programs. These studies have generally been limited to reviews of literature rather than directly gathering data from practitioners. This paper reports on a survey of Australian health promotion practitioners undertaken to investigate the extent to which they are aware of, understand and utilize the major health promotion theories and models derived from research in the areas of psychology and communication. We found that none of the theories or models included in this study-the 'standard' theories and models taught in health promotion courses, and included in the leading textbooks-were used by more than 50% of practitioners in their work. The only models being used by more than one-third of the practitioners were PRECEDE-PROCEED and the Transtheoretical (Stages of Change) Model. The paper concludes with possible explanations for the low level of utilization of theories and models, and suggestions for increasing their usage based on information sources accessed by these practitioners.

In this study we investigated pre-service early childhood teachers’ (referred to as student teachers) beliefs that might influence their intention to use inquiry-based learning methods that have been taught on an inquiry-based science course. During this course, the student teachers (N = 17) participated in a number of classroom experiments concerning phenomena that are part of the curriculum of early childhood education, focusing on pupil’s conceptual representations using the inquiry-based approach. Moreover, the student teachers were explicitly taught the reasoning of Control of Variables Strategy (CVS) as an aspect of inquiry. A four-item open-type questionnaire on the classroom experiments that were approached through the CVS method, was used to investigate student teachers’ understanding of this method. Moreover, an eight-item open-type questionnaire and a four-item Likert scale questionnaire were used to investigate student teachers’ intention to use the CVS method in their teaching practice, focusing on attitude, normative and control socio-psychological factors. The results show the categories of student teachers’ beliefs, leading to teaching implications, and indicate a tentative relationship with an indeterminate direction. Specifically, those student teachers who understood the CVS method were influenced by control factors for its implementation, whereas the other student teachers were influenced by attitude and/or normative factors.

Today’s world is incredibly dynamic and constantly evolving. Rapid technological advances, vast information resources, changing market conditions and intense competition are forcing the acquisition of new skills. The primary mission of General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania is to train, educate and inspire competent, motivated and educated Lithuanian officers leaders to lead in today‘s and tomorrow‘s battle field. Therefore, special attention is paid to developing the skills of future military officers, using innovative learning methods, which encourage participation and engagement in the study process. This publication focuses on the role of research-based learning in developing the certain skills of future military officers. To this end, the author draws on a comparative analysis of the scientific literature and on her personal experience of integrating researchbased learning into assignments of Defence Economics course. The author hopes that sharing her experience of using researchbased learning in the study process will encourage other lecturers to evaluate the possibilities of applying this method in their taught subjects.

Wider adoption of open educational practices and inquiry-based learning (IBL) methods in schools brings many challenges for teacher training especially in the field of STEM. Young teachers have to acquire a large number of competences – knowledge, skills, and attitudes, in order to be able to design and implement innovative and enriching open learning experiences in STEM. Besides STEM expertise, teachers have to demonstrate autonomy, creativity, mastery of innovative learning methods, team- working and leadership skills. This makes defining, teaching and measuring teachers’ competences for applying IBL training on practice a complex and demanding task. The present research aims to investigate and determine a relevant and practice-oriented STEM teacher competence framework. The participatory field experiment step on the previous outcomes of the IBL project ELITe (Enhancing Learning In Teaching via e-inquiries)* and brought together STEM teachers, teacher trainers and researchers. This way, authors succeeded to identify three main groups of practice-oriented competences, including two levels of 44 sub-competences. These competences have been addressed within a competence-based pilot course in Moodle referring to IBL activities that can measure and improve STEM teachers’ competence. The outcomes of this field experience demonstrate that participatory methods for teachers’ training bring additional understanding, motivation and clarification and readiness for adoption of innovative open learning practices in the classroom.

This study's purpose of find the inquiry-based learning effect on the metacognitive skills of high school students. This study uses a quasi-experimental method with a pre-test and post-test design. The sample size is 65 science students at a high school in Manokwari. Data analysis using the Mann Whitney test. The results showed Sig 0.00 &lt;0.05, which means differences in metacognitive skills in the experimental and control groups. It can be concluded that there is an effect of inquiry-based learning on students' metacognitive skills.

&lt;p style="text-indent:20px;"&gt;In the last decade, major efforts have been made to promote inquiry-based mathematics learning at the tertiary level. The Inquiry-Based Mathematics Education (IBME) movement has gained strong momentum among some mathematicians, attracting substantial funding from US government agencies. This resulted in the successful mobilization of regional consortia in many states, uniting over 800 mathematics education practitioners working to reform undergraduate education. Inquiry-based learning is characterized by the fundamental premise that learners should be allowed to learn 'new to them' mathematics without being taught. This progressive idea is based on the assumption that it is best to advance learners to the level of experts by engaging learners in mathematical practices similar to those of practicing mathematicians: creating new definitions, conjectures and proofs - that way, learners are thought to develop 'deep mathematical understanding'.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-indent:20px;"&gt;However, concerted efforts to radically reform mathematics education must be systematically scrutinized in view of available evidence and theoretical advances in the learning sciences. To that end, this scoping review sought to consolidate the extant research literature from cognitive science and educational psychology, offering a critical commentary on the effectiveness of inquiry-based learning. Our analysis of research articles and books pertaining to the topic revealed that the call for a major reform by the IBME advocates is not justified. Specifically, the general claim that students would learn better (and acquire superior conceptual understanding) if they were not taught is not supported by evidence. Neither is the general claim about the merits of IBME for addressing equity issues in mathematics classrooms.&lt;/p&gt;