Journal of Inquiry Based Activities

Earth Puzzle Activity: Past, Future, and Biodiversity

Selin Şahin, Serap Öz-Aydın — Sat, 31 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0300

The Earth has changed geologically throughout the last 4.6 billion years since it was formed. Because these changes happen at an extremely slow pace, they are hard to notice in a human lifetime and hard to learn about. The objective of the study is to delineate the design of the “Earth Puzzle Activity,” created to enhance comprehension of continental changes in the Earth’s geological structure, in accordance with the ADDIE model, and to present the data acquired from its execution. The study utilized the design and development process and included 15 third-year pre-service teachers from various disciplines who were enrolled in an elective Natural History course during the Fall semester of the 2024–2025 academic year. During the evaluation phase, the last stage in the ADDIE design paradigm, content analysis was used to look at answers to two open-ended questions. The results indicated that participants were able to describe the interlocking nature of continents, recognize possible relationships between continental drift and biodiversity, provide evidence-based explanations regarding these processes, and generate predictions about future continental configurations. These findings suggest that the Earth Puzzle Activity may support participants’ understanding of continental change and biodiversity-related concepts. However, since the evaluation was based on responses to two open-ended questions, the findings should be interpreted cautiously and as reflections of participants’ expressed understandings rather than direct measures of learning gains or scientific thinking skills.

Integrating Inquiry-Based Learning and Hypothetical Learning Trajectories: An Activity-Based Study

Emine Özgür Şen, Ayşenur Çelebi — Sat, 31 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0300

This study aimed to enable fifth-grade students to meaningfully discover and learn concepts related to polygons and the relationships among these concepts through activities based on the integration of Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) and the Hypothetical Learning Trajectory (HLT) and to improve their conceptual understanding of polygons. A total of 27 students (14 girls and 13 boys) participated in this research, which was conducted using a design-based approach. The data collection instrument prepared to evaluate the research process was administered as a pre-test and post-test. At the end of the study, it was determined that the activities prepared in accordance with the integration of IBL and HLT positively improved the participants’ conceptual understanding of polygons. Furthermore, Furthermore, suggestions were presented regarding the positive aspects of the process and areas requiring improvement based on the implementation of activities integrating IBL and HLT.

The Influence of the Scarcity of Digital Tools on Practical Assessment Tasks in Electrical Technology in Gauteng Province, South Africa

Sello Obed Mathibedi, Samuel Dumazi Khoza — Sat, 31 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0300

This paper explores the influence of digital tool scarcity on Practical Assessment Tasks (PATs) in Electrical Technology within the South African education system. It highlights how technologies such as circuit simulation software, computer-aided design (CAD), and e-assessment platforms have transformed the teaching and assessment of practical competencies. Without such tools, the facilitation of Electrical Technology will remain shallow. Using a qualitative approach, 12 Electrical Technology teachers from a single district in Gauteng Province were purposively selected, and classroom observations and face-to-face interviews were conducted. Using the Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, the findings revealed that a lack of infrastructure impedes the optimal teaching of Electrical Technology concepts. This is exacerbated by the lack of professional teacher development, which leaves teachers not in par with the latest technological trends. The study recommends that schools make the necessary tools for teaching Electrical Technology available and expose teachers to state-of-the-art professional development training relevant to industry needs. The study also recommends that digital tools be effectively integrated into practical assessment, aligned with the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) frameworks.

Teaching Mathematics Using Interactive Whiteboards: Do the Affordances Offset the Drawbacks?

Tsungai Dube, Erica Dorethea Spangenberg — Sat, 31 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Although schools are provided with interactive whiteboards (IWBs) to digitize classrooms in the 21st century, they are often underutilized in mathematics classrooms. Therefore, this study established whether the affordances offset the drawbacks when Grade 10 teachers use IWBs to teach mathematics. This qualitative study involved 10 Grade 10 teachers purposively selected from five public township schools in an urban district in South Africa. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and were thematically analyzed. The findings revealed that most teachers use IWBs to teach mathematics because they enable the presentation of visual graphics, collaboration, online teaching, increased learner participation, easy access to teaching resources, and interaction with software such as GeoGebra. Moreover, teachers perceived IWBs as enabling visualization, collaboration, learner participation, online teaching, and access to digital resources during mathematics instruction. However, some drawbacks to integrating IWBs for teaching included teachers’ lack of technological and pedagogical knowledge, ineffective teacher training, technical issues, and load shedding. This study highlights the importance of using IWBs for teaching mathematics, provided the drawbacks are addressed. The findings may inform future continuous professional development programs on technology integration in mathematics teaching.