The Relationship Between Inquiry-Based Teaching and Students' Achievement: Longitudinal PISA Evidence from England
Jerrim, J., Oliver, M., & Sims, S. · 2019
grade Dlongitudinalindependentmixed
Sample
PISA 2015 England linked to National Pupil Database
Population
~15-year-olds, England; standardized national science achievement.
Design
Better-controlled than cross-national PISA (prior attainment, demographics), but exposure is self-reported and cross-sectional — fundamentally correlational.
Key findings
The best-controlled test of the 'PISA shows inquiry is bad' claim: in England's linked data the raw negative largely DISAPPEARS, becoming curvilinear/null, with inquiry+high teacher support modestly positive. Neither extreme survives clean identification.
Genetic confound
Correlational; confounded by ability sorting and reverse causation (weaker classes get more hands-on remediation).
Replication notes
Undercuts BOTH the strong pro-inquiry case and the anti-inquiry PISA correlation.
DOI / URL
10.1016/j.learninstruc.2018.12.004
Effects
| Outcome | Metric | Value | Measure | Timing | Vs | Horizon | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inquiry-teaching frequency -> science achievement | association | little/no significant association; naive negative attenuates; curvilinear | standardized | cross-sectional | none | not-applicable | domain-skill |
| High inquiry + high teacher support | association | small POSITIVE | standardized | cross-sectional | none | not-applicable | domain-skill |
Cited by
- Explicit instruction vs discovery/inquiry — how much guidance?moderate supportconf: mediumgc: low
- Inquiry-based science teaching vs explicit and textbook science teachingmixedconf: mediumgc: low