Implementing guided-inquiry in the chemistry laboratory

Implementing guided-inquiry into the laboratory in response to current reforms can be challenging for both students and faculty. Guided-inquiry laboratories offer a pathway that minimizes cost in terms of time and equipment while maximizing student success in developing inquiry skills and constructing content knowledge.;A set of guided-inquiry laboratories was designed and implemented into the second semester of undergraduate general chemistry. It was found that students using the guided-inquiry laboratory format gained more knowledge and greater understanding of the chemical concepts studied in the laboratory than a control group of students who conducted the standard expository laboratories. The guided-inquiry laboratories elicited active thought from the students and fostered positive student attitudes towards laboratory work. The successes of this implementation were also extended to two local high schools, whose preliminary results also reaffirmed the value of guided-inquiry in increasing student content knowledge.