Inquiry Guided Learning Projects for the Development of Critical Thinking in the College Classroom - A pilot study

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by awa

This paper examines the initial implementation success of Inquiry Guided Learning Projects in a college-level human anatomy and physiology course. Scientific inquiry is used to build students’ critical thinking capabilities through a guided sequence aligned with the Information Search Process, emphasizing question selection, scientific research, and presentation of results. Student progress was measured with 10-point Likert self-reported confidence ratings and with qualitative feedback on how projects could be improved. Future work will embed IGLPs as a formal course component and assess student learning outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Inquiry Guided Learning Project Design and Implementation

Project goals

Project structure and stages

Student grouping and research question selection

Instructor check-ins and expectations

Assessment and final presentations

Inquiry Guided Learning Projects for the Development of Critical Thinking in the College Classroom: A pilot study Danielle C. Bentley, University of Toronto, APLUS Institute of Dental Hygiene Abstract This paper describes the inaugural success of implementing Inquiry Guided Learning Projects within a college-level human anatomy and physiology course. In this context, scientific inquiry was used as a means of developing skills required for critical thinking among students. The projects were loosely designed using the Information Search Process (Kuhlthau, 1991) as a framework with emphasis placed on three of the six stages: question selection, scientific research, and presentation of results. The projects were quantitatively assessed using selfreported confidence ratings using a 10-point Likert scale. The projects were also qualitatively assessed using student feedback focusing on student suggestions for project improvement. Moving forward, the Inquiry Guided Learning Projects will be integrated as a formal course component, with the next stage of implementation to include a thorough assessment of student learning outcomes. Introduction The ability to independently analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information, otherwise called critical thinking, is viewed as an essential component of college training (American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 1990, 1993, 2010) . Despite the importance of critical thinking, all too often in post-secondary science courses curricula are designed so that established scientific facts/understandings are merely presented to students. The promotion of this surface level learning can be intensified by the increased reliance on poorly designed multiple choice tests which can promote rote memorization among students (Stanger-Hall, 2012) . In these content-heavy course environments students may develop passive learning strategies where they rely on the course instructor to ‘give them’knowledge in a unidirectional conversation-style dialogue. In order to evade this passive reliance on unidirectional learning, students at APLUS Institute of Dental Hygiene participate in novel and innovative educational strategies within their biomedical science courses, such as Movement Guided Learning (Bentley, 2013) . Most recently, Inquiry Guided Learning Projects (IGLPs) were introduced to both first and second term students as an inaugural pilot study. This pilot study had two research goals. The primary research goal was to evaluate improvement in students’ self-perceived abilities to complete tasks pertaining to critical thinking. The secondary research goal was to determine project components that could be adjusted to more effectively meet the needs of students. Inquiry Guided Learning Project Design and Implementation Active learning strategies, specifically the strategy of scientific inquiry, have been shown to produce superior learning outcomes in various postsecondary science education environments (Baum, 2013; Luckie et al., 2012; Prince & Felder, 2007) . Building from this previous postsecondary success, Inquiry Guided Learning Projects (IGLPs) were used as a strategy to develop skills pertaining to critical thinking. As such, the IGLPs were designed with the intent of loosely guiding students through the six stages of the Information Search Process: initiation, selection, exploration, formulation, collection, and presentation (Kuhlthau, 1991) . Three of the six stages (selection, formulation, and presentation) are imperative directly to the process of guided inquiry as it pertains to the IGLPs. Throughout the project these stages were referred to as Research Question Selection, Research Answer Formulation, and Research Answer Presentation accordingly. The IGLPs were introduced to students on the first day of the course semester. At this point, students were randomly divided into small groups of 3-4 and instructed to brainstorm a research question that they would be genui

FAQs

What is the main purpose of Inquiry Guided Learning Projects in this study?

The primary goal is to evaluate whether students improve their self-perceived abilities to complete critical-thinking-related tasks. A secondary goal is to identify which project components can be adjusted to better meet student needs.

How were the Inquiry Guided Learning Projects structured for students?

Students were loosely guided through six stages of the Information Search Process, with emphasis on selection, formulation, and presentation. These stages were operationalized as Research Question Selection, Research Answer Formulation, and Research Answer Presentation.

How did the study assess student progress and project effectiveness?

Quantitative assessment used self-reported confidence ratings on a 10-point Likert scale. Qualitative assessment used student feedback focused on suggestions for improving the projects.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by awa