Enhancing students’ STEM learning through inquiry-based teaching: Evidence from secondary schools in Multan

Abstract

The role of inquiry-based teaching in improving the STEM learning of secondary schools’ students of Multan was the focus of this study. In the new STEM world, classroom practices that foster conceptual understanding, engagement, problem solving, and academic success are becoming more prevalent, but many secondary classrooms persist with lecture and exam focused teaching. A quantitative descriptive-correlational design was used, and questionnaire data from 360 grade 9 and 10 students in public and private secondary schools were analyzed. Inquiry-based teaching was assessed using questioning, investigation, experimentation, discussion, evidence-based reasoning, problem-solving activities and teacher scaffolding, while STEM learning was assessed using conceptual understanding, classroom engagement, problem-solving skills and academic achievement. High perceived levels of inquiry-based teaching and STEM learning were revealed from descriptive findings. Pearson correlation showed that there was a significant positive correlation between inquiry-based teaching and overall STEM learning with r = .67 and p < .01. The regression analysis indicated that the inquiry-based teaching had a significant prediction of the STEM learning, accounting for 45% of the variance. The problem-solving skills showed the highest dimensional effect. Therefore, the study concludes that the use of inquiry-based instruction is a suitable student-centered method to enhance STEM learning in secondary schools of Multan. It suggests teacher training, better lab and digital materials, and curriculum tasks which encourage investigation, evidence-based explanation, and problem solving in the real world.