Meta-Analysis of Inquiry-Based Learning

We checked this card's citation and the finding we state against the source's own page or record in October 2026.

What it found

Guidance during inquiry-based learning had positive effects on what students did during inquiry, how well they performed, and what they learned. The type of guidance mattered for performance but not for the other outcomes, and there were too few studies to settle differences by age.

Effect size, as the source reports it: guidance: d = 0.66 on learning activities, d = 0.71 on performance success, d = 0.50 on learning outcomes.

What kind of study it is

Design

Meta-analysis

Weight

A synthesis: it pools or weighs many studies, so it carries the most weight on the evidence meter.

Sample

72 studies comparing types of guidance across age groups

Read it

doi.org/10.3102/0034654315627366

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Cited in the Library

• Inquiry-based learning
• Do students learn best by discovering things for themselves?
• Explicit instruction vs inquiry-based learning: which works, and when?