Fostering Interdisciplinary Thinking by Supporting Problem-Setting in Inquiry-Based Learning for High School Students

Abstract

This study aims to develop and evaluate an educational practice for fostering interdisciplinary thinking by supporting problem-setting in an inquiry-based, cross-curricular course integrating high school information and biology. Specifically, it addresses two research questions: (RQ1) To what extent do students' research skills, interdisciplinary thinking, and perceptions of inquiry change? and (RQ2) How do differences in problem-setting affect the development of interdisciplinary thinking? Through quantitative and qualitative analyses, we observed significant pre-post improvements in students’ “researcher skills” and knowledge-based aspects of interdisciplinary thinking, particularly “knowledge of subject-specific characteristics.” Furthermore, the study revealed that students' perceptions of inquiry shifted throughout the course, from an initial focus on “problem-setting” to “organization and analysis” and “deepening of knowledge and understanding.” Notably, the findings suggest that students who engaged more effectively in interdisciplinary problem setting demonstrated a greater improvement in their interdisciplinary thinking.