Argument Driven Inquiry and Student Achievement in High School Chemistry, Moderated by Gender

Abstract

In the age of high stakes testing, the best instructional methods to promote academic achievement are frequently examined. The purpose of this study was to examine whether implementation of the Argument-Driven Inquiry (ADI) model in a high school chemistry course would be associated with improved student scores compared to a more traditional approach. The study employed a nonequivalent control group design to evaluate the posttest scores of students by instructional method and gender. Data were obtained from a sample of 28 honors students in a chemistry course in grades 10 and 11. The data consisted of pretest and posttest scores. A two-way analysis of covariance was used to address the study’s research questions, controlling for the students’ aptitude. The results showed that there were no significant differences in achievement between the ADI and traditional methods groups, controlling for the students’ aptitude. Also, the interaction between instructional method and gender was not significant. Use of ADI methods was, thus, found to neither improve nor be negatively associated with student performance.