The central goal of our exploratory study was to
investigate differences in college chemistry students’ interactions during
lab experiments with different levels of inquiry. This analysis was
approached from three major analytic dimensions: (i) functional
analysis; (ii) cognitive processing; and (iii) social processing. According
to our results, which were based on the qualitative analysis of direct
observations of different groups of students working in general
chemistry laboratories, experiments that involved higher levels of
inquiry were associated with an increase in the frequency of episodes in
which students engaged in proposing ideas versus asking and answering
each others’ questions. Higher levels of inquiry also favored episodes in
which experimental work was approached in a more exploratory (versus
procedural) manner. Increased levels of inquiry were also associated
with more frequent episodes of domination in which a few students in a
group directed the actions of others. In general, our results elicit trends
and highlight issues that can help instructors identify strategies to better
support and scaffold productive engagement in the laboratory.