essential features and level of inquiry of the activities in the grade 9 science learner's material
This research, utilizing a document analysis-descriptive method, aimed to determine the presence and level of scientific inquiry in the Grade 9 Science learner's material across four domains: Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, and Physics. The material was analyzed through a five-phase data analysis and a researcher-made rubric, which a panel of experts validated. The results indicated that most of the analyzed science activities include the five essential inquiry features, with feature 1 (engaging learners in scientifically oriented questions) and feature 2 (making learners give priority to evidence in responding to questions) being the most prevalent. However, the mean level of these five features falls under category level 2, indicating a slight amount of student self-direction present. This result suggests that the activities in the Grade 9 Science learner's material could be more extensive in providing learners with opportunities to develop their inquiry skills. As such, this study offers important implications for educational administrators and policy-makers in preparing and using science education content.
Keywords: learner's material, science textbook, inquiry learning, science education, science content, document analysis
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