Inquiry-Based Science Education in Secondary School Informatics - Challenges and Rewards

The paper presents an application of the inquiry-based science education (IBSE) approach in the context of informatics, specialized classes, in the process of studying Java language by 11 graders. The experiment under consideration presents classes, performed in parallel in two mathematics high schools in Sofia, Bulgaria, in two consequence years. The levels of IBSE as well as meta-levels of inquiry skills developed by students in process of learning are described. Next, the context of the experiment is presented. Two different variations of the approach application are shown – open inquiry and guided inquiry. The products, developed by student as results of the education, are presented. The analysis of the challenges, staying in front of the students and the teachers, in process of application of the inquiry-based science education takes special place in the paper. In conclusion, the application of IBSE is analysed from the point of view of long-term effect of education.