Metacognitive questioning associated with the inquiry-based didactic approach: Analysis of a Science activity in elementary school

Abstract

The present text refers to an investigation performed with fifth-year students of elementary school, which associated metacognitive questionings with the inquiry-based teaching approach. The study attempted to answer the following question: How can metacognitive questionings contribute to qualify the active participation of students in a Science activity guided by inquiry-based teaching? From this question, a teaching proposal was developed and applied, aiming to analyze the contributions of inserting explicit moments of activation of the metacognitive thinking to qualify the discussions of students arising from inquiry-based teaching. The theoretical references focused on specificities of metacognition and investigation methodology, highlighting metacognitive questionings and the steps of an inquiry-based teaching. The tools used for data production were video recordings of teaching episodes and the analysis of interlocution of students with each other and with the teacher/researcher. Reports in a field journal were added. In the results obtained, the discussions established were favored by the awareness of students on their own knowledge and the executive control of the developing action. Additionally, the inquiry-based methodology provided freedom for exposing ideas, structuring and testing hypotheses, recalling previous knowledge, among other aspects associated with the activation of metacognitive thinking. Therefore, the study indicates the importance of associating metacognition to inquiry-based teaching so to enhance this methodological approach.