Keywords
scientific practices
science core curriculum
How to Cite
Abstract
This article examines the relationship between inquiry-based science education (IBSE) and scientific practices and analyses how these practices are represented in Poland’s current core curriculum for the subject Nature (grades 4). Building on scholarship that positions IBSE as a way to mirror the work of scientists in classrooms (mirrors the nature of science), the paper argues that operationalising IBSE through clearly defined scientific practices can support students’ epistemic understanding and engagement. A qualitative content analysis of the national core curriculum (preamble, aims/content, conditions for implementation, and commentary) was conducted using a linguistically anchored codebook for eight practices: asking questions/problem formulation; observing; planning/doing investigations; collecting/analysing/visualising data; modelling; reasoning from evidence; argumentation/communication; and computation/computational thinking. Findings show a markedly uneven representation of scientific practices: observation is the most extensively described practice and appears across all sections, often with concrete suggestions for fieldwork and documentation. By contrast, modelling is present only in isolated, task-like references, and computational thinking is virtually absent. References to questioning/problem formulation and reasoning/argumentation occur mainly in general statements (preamble/commentary) rather than as explicit learning goals or progression across grades. The paper concludes that, while the curriculum endorses active learning rhetorically, it under-specifies higher-order practices and offers limited coherence between aims, content, and assessment. Recommendations include embedding a spiral progression of practices in the aims and requirements, strengthening links to the Nature of Science, and supporting teachers through professional development aligned with practice-rich instruction.
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