Design for Assisted Inquiry Mechanism in Web-Based Inquiry Science Environment

Abstract

Web-based Science Inquiry tends to be a curriculum learning which learning steps are based on inquiry through Internet. In the existing research, Web-based Inquiry science Environment was widely used. Inquiry Environment provides scaffolds and cognitive tools in students' inquiry learning activities, thus to help students make their thinking visible and help teachers manage and evaluate students' learning actions and achievements in a better way. However, an assisted inquiry mechanism is needed in the existing inquiry environment, which can assist students to proceeds a consistent inquiring process including observing, analyzing, hypothesizing, experimenting, data processing, verifying hypothesis, and communicating introspection. This study aims to discuss how to design an assisted inquiry mechanism to optimize learners' Self-regulated inquiry space in Web-based Inquiry Environment, this mechanism helps learners to record data and information in learning notes, then form a mind map after analyzing, concluding and sorting, and helps learners to verify hypothesis, discuss and report in group in finally.