Active Assessment: Assessing Scientific Inquiry

The academic book "Active Assessment: Assessing Scientific Inquiry" offers a comprehensive analysis of the various types of scientific inquiry in educational contexts. It examines how these forms of inquiry can be organized along a continuum that considers the degree of teacher control and intellectual complexity. Authentic scientific inquiry is defined by five key characteristics, including the development of personal and cultural knowledge as well as the promotion of high-level problem-solving. The book presents an analytical framework that describes the relevant types of knowledge for scientific inquiry and their organizational structure. It highlights four significant types of knowledge: cognitive knowledge, physical knowledge, representational knowledge, and presentational knowledge. These types of knowledge are arranged within a framework that includes two intersecting axes to illustrate the different phases of scientific inquiry.