The Effectiveness of Employing the Strategy of Free Inquiry Based on Debate During Teaching Social Studies in Developing Students' Self-Learning and Research Skills

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of employing the strategy of open inquiry based on argumentation in teaching social studies in developing research skills among students in Jordan. The study adopted the experimental approach using a quasi-experimental design. A purposive sample of ninth-grade female students was selected, totaling 50 students. They were divided into two groups)28(students in the experimental group and )22( in the control group.To achieve the objectives of the study, the researchers developed a measurement tool in the form of a research skills questionnaire, which consisted of four main skills and )24( sub-items. This tool was applied to both groups before and after the intervention. The results showed statistically significant differences in the mean scores of research skills in favor of the experimental group. Furthermore, it was found that 55.5% of the variance in the post-test performance of the study sample in research skills could be attributed to the open inquiry strategy based on argumentation, indicating a large effect size for the strategy .The researchers recommended the continuous use of the open inquiry strategy based on argumentation in social studies classes and emphasized the need to reconsider the design of social studies curricula to include activities and learning situations based on this strategy at all educational levels.