Applying the Brakes: How Practical Classroom Decisions Affect the Adoption of Inquiry Instruction

Abstract

If college science instructors are to use inquiry practices more in the classroom, they need both professional support to foster comfort with the pedagogy and practical ways to engage students in inquiry. Over a semester, we studied 13 community college biology instructors as they adopted bioinformatics problem-based learning (PBL) modules in their classrooms. The study used a diffusion of an innovation theoretical framework and a systematic model for examining faculty decision making around instructional materials adoption.