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CHS Inquiry Cycle

A diagram illustrating the Inquiry Cycle at Concord High School, with steps for Inquiry, Action, and Reflection.

An inquiry cycle is a strategy for approaching learning that focuses on the process of learning rather than the product. It is dynamic; this means that the process looks different every time a student approaches inquiry learning, and it is continual, repeating itself over and over again. True inquiry learning is not a linear process; it is not a checklist of steps that need to be done in a particular order. Rather, inquiry learning is a constant cycle of inquiring, taking action based on what was learned, reflecting on progress, and making changes based on reflection. In our digital, AI filled age, inquiry learning is a way to enage in the learning process in a meaningful way that cannot be replaced by computers. 

The Inquiry Stage

The inquiry stage is the starting point of any inquiry cycle. However, it is often revisted throughout the process as students discover a need for more information, different information, or even realize that they need to change directions altogether. While the inquiry stage can look different every time, the three following steps are most often taken during the inquiry stage: 

  • Ask a Research Question/Define the Task
  • Conduct Research
  • Develop a Thesis/Hypothesis

Ask a Research Question

A great place to start your inquiry is by asking questions. At the beginning of a project, those questions are simple, but as you learn more about the subject, they should change into a formal research question. 

Basic Questioning

To get started, think of any questions you have about your broad topic. What are you curious about?

Initial Inquiry Questions Worksheet

Formal Research Questions

Formal research questions clearly define the purpose of your inquiry. These questions must be clear, focused, concise, complex, and arguable.

Research Questions Guidelines

Conduct Research

There are 3 categories of sources:

  • Basic – These are the places we go every day: Google, AI, social media, etc. When we use these sources, we often don’t take the time to look closely to verify the information and make sure they are valid sources. We might use these sources to help us get background information on our research topic and answer preliminary questions, but these should not be sources we use once we begin formal research. 
  • Scholarly – These are sources that come from verified, valid sources. In order to verify that a source is scholarly, we use the CRAPPAY checklist. For more information on the CRAPPAY checklist, and the source verification process, see below. These are the type of sources that, in high school, will be required the majority of the time.
  • Peer-Reviewed – This is the highest tier of source, but is also the most difficult to locate and use. Peer-reviewed sources have been reveiwed by experts in the field of study they are about, and those experts have verified that it holds to the principles of that discipline of study. As a result of this process, many of these sources are hidden behind a pay wall, but as students in NC, you do have access to some of these sources. 

The search engines to the right are good places to go in order to find scholarly and peer-reviewed sources. 

CRAPPAY Source Evaluation

Check the currency, relevance, authority, purpose, perspective, AI content, and why of a source in order to verify it is scholarly.

CRAPPAY Checklist

Boolean Keyword Search

Academic databases, like those found with EBSCO, do not follow the same rules as Google when searching them.

Boolean Search Guide

Thesis vs. Hypothesis

Thesis Statement                                                         Hypothesis                                                           

A one sentence statement of the main idea and supporting points about your topic that you will cover throughout the course of your project.

  • Usually a minimum of 3 supporting points required in a thesis statement
  • Should be the last sentence in an introduction parapraph

 

Thesis Outline: Main idea because supporting point #1, supporting point #2, and supporting point #3.

 

Example: The Concord High School Spiders are better than the A. L. Brown Wonders because they have a fierce mascot, classic school colors, and more state championships.

A predictive statement that will be tested through experiementation during the project to see if it can be proved or disproved. 

  • Can often be written as an if, then statement
  • Includes the independent (what will be manipulated during the experiment) and dependent variable (what will change based on the manipulation) that will be included in the experiment

Hypothesis Outline: If independent variable, then dependent variable. 

Example: If the amount of students sitting in the student section is increased, then the cheering at games will be louder.

 

The Action Stage

During the action stage, the research done during inquiry is being applied in order to create a product. However, students should be revisiting the inquiry and reflection stages throughout acting, so that they are adjusting and learning more as they work on creating their final product. Some common steps taken in the action stage are as follows: 

  • Plan
  • Organize
  • Create Product

Planning Guides

  • Traditional papers and presentations require planning out the information that needs to go in each paragraph or on each slide. This information should come from the sources you found during the inquiry stage; therefore, a note taking guide can be helpful in figuring out what information is important enough to include in your paper. Make a copy of the linked worksheet to take your own notes by clicking on File at the top of the document and selecting Make a copy.

    Note Taking Worksheet

    Also, since this information all needs to be from your sources, it must be cited in order to avoid plagiarizing. Check out the citation information page to ensure you are correctly citing your information. 

    Citation Information

  • Before conducting an experiment, it is important to think through and plan for what variables will be present in the experiment, what safety risks might there be in the experimental process, and the materials needed. An experimental design planning sheet can help you think through these factors. Make a copy of the linked worksheet to take plan your own experiement by clicking on File at the top of the document and selecting Make a copy.

     

    Experiemental Design Planning Sheet

     

  • Under construction

A hand fills out a checklist on a clipboard with a blue pen.

Graphic artwork created using Adobe Express generative AI image generator.