Investigation of the activities in the eight class science course book within the framework of classroom inquiry skills

Inquiry skill involves asking meaningful questions, observing, making inferences, testing and sharing explanations. Inquiry skill is one of the lifelong learning skills that provide permanent learning in individuals. It is important for individuals to gain this skill from an early age. The purpose of this study is to examine the activities in the eighth grade science textbook within the framework of classroom inquiry skills. In the study in which qualitative research method was used, 8th Grade Science Textbook, which was accepted as a textbook since the 2019-2020 academic year, was used as a data source. In the study, the data were collected by document analysis method. Document analysis enables data to be obtained by analyzing written sources containing information about the study. In this study, a total of 76 activities in five different types in the eighth science textbook were examined one by one in terms of questions, evidence, explanation, comparison and communication features, which are the five main characteristics of classroom inquiry skills determined by NRC (2000). The data obtained in the study were analyzed by descriptive analysis method. According to research results; Only one activity out of 76 activities in the eighth grade science textbook was identified as full inquiry, including all the features of in-class inquiry skills. While partial interrogation was observed in thirty-two of the activities, interrogation was not encountered in forty-three activities. The most common features in the activities were question, evidence, explanation features, while the least common feature was the comparative feature. According to the results, suggestions were made to the researchers about the inclusion of questioning in the science textbook and what should be done for students to gain skills.