Chaos and Order: Scaffolding Students’ Exploration during Inquiry-Based Learning

Abstract

This chapter describes the benefits for learners when librarians collaborate with discipline faculty to design inquiry-based learning experiences. The authors purport that the research strategies and information literacy that form the basis of student inquiry are as critical to student learning and success as discipline-specific course outcomes. Drawing upon research in librarianship and educational psychology, the authors demonstrate benefits from direct instruction in information literacy that maximizes the depth and breadth of inquiry, brings more sophisticated questions to course topics, and acknowledges cognitive, metacognitive, and affective facets of the research process. This closes learning gaps and builds students’ confidence as researchers while simultaneously encouraging openness to ambiguity and diverse ideas.

Improving students’ ability to strategize about the information landscape, approach literature of various disciplines, and determine information quality are all critical to learning transfer and the scholarly process. The authors discover alignment between inquiry models and the information search process and demonstrate how using models facilitates instructional design and communicating expectations to students. Practical examples illustrate how faculty might embed information literacy into inquiry-based courses to scaffold, challenge, and support inquiry.

Citation

Gilchrist, D.L. and Cunningham, A.D. (2015), "Chaos and Order: Scaffolding Students’ Exploration during Inquiry-Based Learning", Inquiry-Based Learning for Multidisciplinary Programs: A Conceptual and Practical Resource for Educators (Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Vol. 3), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 253-274. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2055-364120150000003030