Abstract:

The inquiry approach involves asking questions and knowing how to engage in an inquiry. Scientific inquiry focuses on finding knowledge, facts, and truths as answers to scientific questions and problems. Research, a systematic approach by which scientific knowledge advances, differs from inquiry in that it produces knowledge. The study of science in an inquiry learning setting prepares primary school students to master scientific thinking and research. In the literature on science education, inquiry and research are defined as student-centered approaches. In the didactic practice, most of these activities are centered on the teacher, who makes presentations of knowledge, formulates explanations, demonstrates or guides the students to realize experimental demonstrations, etc. In order to justify the assumption of the management of the learning activities, the teachers invoke the need to respect the school curriculum of the science discipline. This curriculum is very loaded with information, work tasks, evaluation topics, etc. and must be traveled at speed.

The practice of differentiated learning is an alternative to frontal or individual training and eliminates delays in following the science school curriculum. Differentiated instruction is most often seen as a way of adapting teaching to the student's thinking, knowledge, and skills profile or needs and interests. It facilitates the transfer of authority from teacher to student, giving the latter extra autonomy in learning. In differentiated instruction, teachers can differentiate between learning content, thought processes, learning and assessment strategies used, and products required by students.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the opinion of teachers about differentiated instruction and its relationship with the inquiry approach. The tool was a questionnaire focused on differentiated learning, structured on six aspects:
(1) the student: characteristics;
(2) lesson design;
(3) content;
(4) strategies;
(5) product;
(6) evaluation.

For the survey, the questionnaire was adapted to include inquiry items. Volunteer teachers for preschool and primary education participated in the research, the sampling being convenient. The results obtained show that the participants appreciate the usefulness of inquiry in learning science in primary education. It also mentions the lack of time and resources needed for the systematic practice of differentiated learning and the fact that textbooks and the school curriculum provide too little for such activities. Most of the respondents consider that the activities of Inquiry-Based Science Learning (IBSL) are very well suited to the study of science in primary education and that combining inquiry with differentiated instruction can meet the requirements of the school curriculum, without delays. One-third of the participants mentioned the need to deepen their knowledge of inquiry-based science learning.

Keywords:

Knowledge, inquiry, science learning, students, teachers, curriculum.