Research in scientific inquiry has reported that providing various types of inquiry was more easily to reach the goal of ‘students science learning in terms of providing students with doing actual science in various ways' than exposing students to one ...

Research in scientific inquiry has reported that providing various types of inquiry was more easily to reach the goal of ‘students science learning in terms of providing students with doing actual science in various ways' than exposing students to one type of inquiry. This study developed and used the frameworks for analysis of scientific inquiry types based on the nature of scientific enterprise. We selected three types of scientific inquiry: these are minds-on activity, hands-on activity, and experimenting. Elementary science textbooks in 7th national science curriculum were analysed by each subject area of earth science, physics, biology, and chemistry. A total of 61 teaching units in 3rd through 6th gr. science textbooks were investigated. The frequencies of each type of scientific inquiry were slightly different among four science subject areas. The most frequently appeared type in physics and chemistry was hands-on, while it minds-on activity type was in earth science and biology.