Evaluation of Laboratory Activities and Students’ Self-Regulated Learning Using an Inquiry-Based Approach
This study aims to examine the effects of guided inquiry and open inquiry approaches on students’ laboratory activity scores and self-regulated learning in chemistry instruction. A quasi-experimental research design was employed, involving two groups: a guided inquiry group consisting of 25 students and an open inquiry group consisting of 23 students. Laboratory activity was assessed using a rubric covering pre-lab, lab work, and post-lab activities. A questionnaire was used to measure students’ SRL across five dimensions: metacognitive skills, time management, environmental structuring, persistence, and help-seeking. The results showed that the guided inquiry group achieved the highest laboratory activity and SRL scores. The pre-lab, lab-work, and post-lab scores were consistent with the group’s overall laboratory activity score. Among SRL dimensions, the highest scores in the guided inquiry group were observed for metacognitive skills and environmental structuring. In contrast, the open inquiry group showed the highest SRL score in the help-seeking dimension. ANCOVA analysis revealed a significant relationship between the inquiry approach and both laboratory activity scores and students’ SRL. Students' tendency to experience difficulty initiating the investigative stages contributed to the lower effectiveness of open inquiry. These findings indicate that the effectiveness of guided inquiry is attributed to its structured support, which facilitates students in initiating the investigative phase. In contrast, although open inquiry provides greater opportunities for exploration, its limited implementation in instructional practice may impede students’ ability to effectively initiate the investigative process.
Keywords: inquiry approach, chemistry instruction, metacognition, motivation, pre-laboratory.
Agustian, H.Y. (2025). Recent advances in laboratory education research. Chemistry Teacher International, 7(2), 217–224. https://doi.org/10.1515/cti-2024-0071
Altowaiji, S., Haddadin, R., Campos, P., Sorn, S., Gonzalez, L., Villafan, S.M., & Groves, M.N. (2021). Measuring the effectiveness of online preparation videos and questions in the second semester general chemistry laboratory. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 22, 616–625. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0RP00240B
Andrews, J. L., de Los Rios, J. P., Rayaluru, M., Lee, S., Mai, L., Schusser, A., & Mak, C. H. (2020). Experimenting with at-home general chemistry laboratories during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Chemical Education, 97(7), 1887– 1894. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00483
Anthony, P.H., Emiliana, V., & Rohan, C-R. (2022). An analysis of COVID-19 student learning loss. Policy Research Working Paper Series 10033, The World Bank.
Areepattamannil, S. (2025). Guided inquiry in school science: a mini review of orchestration, assessment, and AI. Frontiers in Education, 10, 1534358. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1534358
Azubuike, O. B., Adegboye, O., & Quadri, H. (2021). Who gets to learn in a pandemic? Exploring the digital divide in remote learning during the COVID- 19 pandemic in Nigeria. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 2, 100022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2020.100022
Bacher-Hicks, A., Goodman, J., & Mulhern, C. (2021). Inequality in household adaptation to schooling shocks: COVID-induced online learning engagement in real time. Journal of Public Economics, 193, 104345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2020.104345
Baur, A., & Emden, M. (2020). How to open inquiry teaching? An alternative teaching scaffold to foster students’ inquiry skills. Chemistry Teacher International, 20190013. https://doi.org/10.1515/cti-2019-0013
Björnhammer, S., Gyllenpalm, J. & Lundegård, I. (2025). A study of learning progression during open inquiry in year 9: learning to do and learning about scientific inquiry. Science & Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-025-00705-5
Cheng, R. (2025). Examining the Impact of Online Help-Seeking Strategies on Promoting EFL learners’ Self-Regulated and Collaborative Learning Skills, Language Learning Outcomes, and Perceptions in CALL Environments. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 63(1), 202–235. https://doi.org/10.1177/07356331241301226
Deffner, S., & Hermanns, J. (2025). Inquiry-based learning in a newly designed laboratory course for preservice chemistry teachers by using a construction kit for planning experiments. Journal of Chemical Education, 102(8), 3207– 3217. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.4c01057
Domin, D.S. (1999). A review of laboratory instruction styles. Journal of Chemical Education, 76(4), 543–547. https://doi.org/10.1021/ed076p543
Fahrni, D.D.D., Hascher, T., & Prasse, D. (2025). Promoting metacognitive strategies with educational technology: Primary teachers’ beliefs and practices. Learning in Context, 2, 100007. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lecon.2025.100007
Fay, M.E., Grove, N.P, Towns, M.H., & Lowery, S. (2007). A rubric to characterize inquiry in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 8(2), 212– 219. https://doi.org/10.1039/B6RP90031C
Faza, A., & Lestari, I. A. (2025). Self-regulated learning in the digital age: a systematic review of strategies, technologies, benefits, and challenges. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 26(2), 23–58. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v26i2.8119
Hamed, R., & Rebello, N.S. (2026). Cognitive load and situational interest in physics laboratories: A comparative study across three instructional modalities. ArXiv, 2602, 06143. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2602.06143
Hörnlein, F., & Kulgemeyer, C. (2025). Learning science and the illusion of understanding. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.02824
Jansen, R.S., Anouschka van Leeuwen, A.V., Janssen, J., Liesbeth Kester, L., &Kalz, K. (2017). Validation of self-regulated online learning questionnaire. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 29, 6–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-016-9125-x
Johnstone, A. H. (2006). Chemical education research in Glasgow in perspective. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 7(2), 49–63. https://doi.org/10.1039/B5RP90021B
Jolley, D. F., Wilson, S. R., Kelso, C., O'Brien, G., & Mason, C. E. (2016). Analytical thinking, analytical action: using prelab video demonstrations and e-quizzes to improve undergraduate preparedness for analytical chemistry practical classes. Journal of Chemical Education, 93(11), 1855– 1862. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00266
Karlina, S., & Wulandari, B.A. (2024). Guided inquiry: Science learning techniques in improving elementary school students’ process skills and concept mastery. Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies, 50(11), 118–26. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajess/2024/v50i111639.
Kayacan, K., & Ektem, I.S. (2019). The effects of biology laboratory practices supported with self-regulated learning strategies on students’ self-directed learning readiness and their attitudes towards science experiments. European Journal of Educational Research, 8(1), 313–323. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.8.1.313
Khuder, B. (2025). Feedback-seeking behaviour as a self-regulation strategy in higher education: a pedagogical approach. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 50(6), 861–875. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2025.2476621
Koo, T.K., & Li, M.Y. (2016). A Guideline of Selecting and Reporting Intraclass Correlation Coefficients for Reliability Research. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, 15(2), 155-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcm.2016.02.012
Kumar, A. (2010). Assessment of practical skill in science. New Delhi: Central Board of Secondary Education.
Lau Y-y, Tang, Y. M, Chau, K.Y., Vyas, L., Sandoval-Hernandez, A., & Wong, S. (2021). COVID-19 crisis: Exploring community of inquiry in online learning for sub-degree students. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 679197. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.679197
Le, H.V., & Nguyen, L.Q. (2024). Promoting L2 learners’ critical thinking skills: the role of social constructivism in reading class. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1241973. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1241973
Maglio, C., Williams, M., & Camponeschi, A. (2025). Biology wet lab e-learning during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: A review of student learning and experiences. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 53(4), 445–454. https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21897.
Marquez-Fernandez, M., Ametller, J., Jimenez-Liso, M.R., & Lopez-Gay, R. (2025). Exploring Undergraduate Students’ Emotions and Learning Self-Perceptions in Connection with Different Types of Instructional Approaches in the Context of Daytime Astronomy. Science & Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-025-00703-7
Miles, D. T., & Wells, W.G. (2020). Lab-in-a-Box: A guide for remote laboratory instruction in an instrumental analysis course. Journal of Chemical Education, 97(9), 2971– 2975. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00709
Mosiagin, I., Pallitsch, K., Klose, I., Preinfalk, A., & Maulide, N. (2021). As similar as possible, as different as necessary-on-site laboratory teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Chemical Education, 98(10), 3143–3152. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c00615
Mulia, V. S. (2025). The practicality of a chemistry learning module on hydrocarbon topic based on guided inquiry. TOFEDU: The Future of Education Journal, 4(6), 2431–2438. https://doi.org/10.61445/tofedu.v4i6.797
Owolade, A. O., Salami, A. T., Kareem, A. O., & Oladipupo, O. O. (2022).
Effectiveness of guided inquiry and open inquiry instructional strategies in improving biology students’ achievement. Anatolian Journal of Education, 7(2), 45–56. https://doi.org/10.29333/aje.2022.723a
Poya, Y. (2026). A sustainability approach to inquiry-based experiential chemistry education in pre-college programs. RSC Sustainability, 4, 1606–1614. https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SU00902B
Reid, N., & Shah, I. (2007). The role of laboratory work in university chemistry. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 8(2), 172– 185. https://doi.org/10.1039/B5RP90026C
Rozo-García, H., Alcantar-Nieblas, C., & Ramírez-Montoya, M.S. (2024). Scale to measure student perception in collaborative online international learning experiences: design and validation. Frontiers in Education, 9, 1401295. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1401295
Schneider, H.M., & Simonsmeier, B.A. (2025). How does prior knowledge affect learning? A review of 16 mechanisms and a framework for future research. Learning and Individual Differences, 122, 10274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2025.102744
Schultz, M., Callahan, D. L., & Miltiadous, A. (2020). Development and use of kitchen chemistry home practical activities during unanticipated campus closures. Journal of Chemical Education, 97(9), 2678–2684. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00620
Schuster, C., Stebner, F., Leutner, D., & Wirth, J. (2020). Transfer of metacognitive skills in self-regulated learning: an experimental training study. Metacognition and Learning, 15, 455–477. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-020-09237-5
Seery, M.K. (2020). Establishing the laboratory as the place to learn how to do chemistry. Journal of Chemical Education, 97(6), 1511–1514. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b00764
Selco, J. I. (2020). Using hands-on chemistry experiments while teaching online. Journal of Chemical Education, 97(9), 2617– 2623. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00424
Shadish, W.R., Cook, T.D., & Campbell, D.T. (2002). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
Sommers, A.S., Miller, A.W., Gift, A.D., Richter-Egger, D.L., Darr, J.P., & Cutucache, C.E. (2021). CURE disrupted! Takeaways from a CURE without a wet-lab experience. Journal of Chemical Education, 98(2), 357–367. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c01214
Stalmach, A., D’Elia, P., Di Sano, S., & Casale, G. (2023). Digital learning and self-regulation in students with special educational needs: A systematic review of current research and future directions. Education Sciences, 13(10), 1051. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13101051
Villanueva, O., Zimmermann, K. (2020). Transitioning an upper-level, integrated laboratory course to remote and online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Chemical Education, 97(9), 3114– 3120. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00740
Willey, J.M., Olvet, D.M., Brd, J.B., & Brenner, J.M. (2020). Pandemics past and present: a guided inquiry approach. Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development, 27(7), 2382120520976957.
https://doi.org/10.1177/2382120520976957
Zemene, A. B., Eticha, A. T., & Bekana, D. (2025). Process oriented guided inquiry learning: a possible solution to improve high school students’ conceptual understanding of electrochemistry and attitude. Chemistry Teacher International, 7(3), 515-531. https://doi.org/10.1515/cti-2025-0035
Zheng, B., & Zhang, Y. (2020). Self-regulated learning: the effect on medical students learning outcomes in flipped classroom environment. BMC Medical Education, 20(100), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-02023-6
Zimmerman, B.J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: an overview. Theory Practice, 41, 64–70.
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.