Inquiry-Based Teaching Produces Better Results Than Traditional Teaching Method, a Quasi-Experimental Design Study Using the Topic ‘‘Measurement of Heat and Temperature’’ in Basic 8

The purpose of this study was to help determine the effectiveness of inquiry-based learning (IBL) over the traditional method. It was also to identify difficulties associated with the use of the inquiry-based learning method This was investigated using the two methods of teaching to teach the concept of measurement of temperature to Basic 8 students of K.O Methodist Junior High School ‘B’ in Kumasi, Ghana. The research design was quasi-experimental. Tests on the concept of heat and temperature (TCHT) were used to obtain responses from Sixty students who were sampled purposively from all students in Basic 8 and were divided into control and experimental groups. Five teachers were interviewed on the challenges of teaching science through the IBL approach. Data was collected under two stages: the pre-experimental, experimental, and post-experimental stages. It was recorded from the independent sample T test that, there was significant difference between the use of the inquiry-based method of teaching and learning and the traditional method of teaching in favour of the inquiry-based method at a confidence interval of 95%. Students who were taught using the inquiry-based method of teaching and learning performed better than those who were taught with the traditional approach. The research, however, concluded that due to factors such as lack of technical know-how, space on timetable etc. among others, teachers are unwilling to use the inquiry method. The study recommended among other things that teachers should adopt the improvisation technique if they want to use the IBL.