How to Unlock Student Potential with Experimental Inquiry in Education

If you've been hanging around my blog for a while, you know that inquiry-based learning is one of the pillars of experiential education. 

It’s student-centered, empowering, and deeply engaging. 
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One of the most powerful forms of inquiry-based learning that I personally use all the time in my high school science seminars is experimental inquiry.

What is Experimental Inquiry?

Experimental inquiry is a specific type of scientific inquiry where students explore concepts through hands-on experimentation. 

It involves designing and carrying out experiments, collecting and analyzing data, drawing conclusions, and reflecting on those findings in meaningful ways. 

While scientific inquiry can be more broadly defined as the process of exploring scientific concepts through questioning, researching, modeling, observing, etc., experimental inquiry narrows in on experimentation as the central vehicle for exploration. 

It’s one branch of the larger scientific inquiry umbrella, and it brings so much richness to student learning.
That said, experimental inquiry doesn’t have to be restricted to science class. In fact, it’s one of the most interdisciplinary approaches I’ve used with my students. 
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It lives in the gray area between content knowledge and real-world application, between structured learning and creative exploration.

I'm ready for a transformation!

Why Experimental Inquiry?

Before becoming a high school experiential educator, I was a wildlife scientist. Fieldwork was my life. 

I observed animal behaviors, tested hypotheses about ecosystems, measured variables in changing environments. My own scientific foundation was built on inquiry, not lectures or textbooks. So when I transitioned into the classroom, it was only natural to continue facilitating learning through experimentation.

Experimental inquiry teaches students to think critically, ask deep questions, and seek answers through trial and error. It builds problem-solving skills and encourages reflection. It fosters resilience when things don’t go as planned (which they often don’t!), and it teaches students how to learn from failure.
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More than anything, it makes learning personal and meaningful. Students don’t just learn about science; they do science. They become scientists.

What Does Experimental Inquiry Look Like in Practice?

Here’s how experimental inquiry generally unfolds in my classroom:

1. Students make observations – They might notice something in a reading, see a phenomenon during a nature walk, or encounter an interesting claim in a YouTube video.
2. They ask questions – What do they want to know more about? What confuses or excites them? What could they test?
3. They design an experiment – Based on their question, students plan an experiment using available materials. This might include identifying variables, creating a data table, writing a hypothesis, and developing a procedure.
4. They carry out the experiment – They conduct their investigation and collect data. Sometimes this happens in one class period; other times it stretches across several days.
5. They analyze the results – Students interpret their data and reflect on what it means. Did their hypothesis hold up? What could have influenced their results? What would they change next time?
6. They share and discuss – This might be a formal lab presentation, a poster session, a small group discussion, or even a student-led conference.
7. They apply it – The final piece is reflecting on how the knowledge they gained might apply to their lives or next steps in learning. This might mean using their findings to launch a project-based learning experience or asking new questions to explore.

​This process works across content areas, not just science.

Experimental Inquiry Examples Across Disciplines

Here’s the magic of experimental inquiry: it’s not just for science teachers. Inquiry is a mindset, and experimentation is simply a method students can use to test and explore their ideas across disciplines.

• In psychology, students can design experiments to explore topics like memory, attention, perception, conformity, and more. One of my favorite experimental inquiry examples was when students investigated the validity of Birth Order Theory. They were inspired by a popular Instagram account whose content heavily relies on this theory. The results were fascinating!
• In neurology, a group of students tested how caffeine affected reaction time using a ruler-drop test. I’ve had students conduct experiments related to addiction, sleep, music, memory, and more!
• In ecology, my students have explored albedo by experimenting with different colored surfaces and measuring temperature changes, water pollution by testing sources of pollution and consequences, and more!
• In chemistry, they compared different chemical reactions. One student tested the reaction rates of baking soda and vinegar with different temperatures of water.
• In art, students can experiment with a variety of materials like inks, charcoals, and pastels to explore how texture and medium influence tone and mood.
• In history, students can design survey experiments to gather perspectives on historical events or test claims they’ve come across in primary sources.
• In ELA, students can practice technical writing by crafting lab reports or writing argumentative essays based on their experimental results.
• In consumer science, one of my students tested the effectiveness of acetone-based versus non-acetone nail polish removers.
• Another fun one: a student tested whether people could tell the difference between name-brand and off-brand chocolate sandwich cookies in a blind taste test.

​If that’s not authentic, student-led learning, I don’t know what is.

Levels of Inquiry in Experimental Learning

Experimental inquiry, like other forms of inquiry, exists on a spectrum. It ranges from structured inquiry (think classic cookbook labs where students follow a step-by-step procedure) to completely open inquiry (students design and execute every element of their investigation).The sweet spot for me is somewhere in the middle: guided inquiry and open inquiry.

• With guided inquiry, I might present a broad concept—say, energy budgets—and provide some materials, then ask students to design an experiment that explores something like albedo and reflectivity. I provide the frame, they fill it in.
• With open inquiry, students come up with their own questions and design experiments from scratch, like the nail polish remover experiment mentioned earlier or the Birth Order Theory experiments. They’re responsible for the whole process, from idea to analysis.

Guided inquiry is great for scaffolding. Open inquiry is ideal for pushing students who are ready for more autonomy.

Either way, the critical piece is the inquiry part. A recipe lab where all students follow the same exact steps to get the same outcome isn’t experimental inquiry. There’s no curiosity. There’s no personalization. There’s no discovery. 
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Experimental inquiry requires student questions, student design, and student reflection. That’s what makes it so impactful.

Experimental Inquiry Fosters Curiosity and Lifelong Learning

There’s something special about watching a student light up when they discover something on their own, when they realize they asked a question, tested it, and figured something out that they cared about. That’s powerful. That’s real learning.

And it doesn’t stop when the lab or experiment is over. Students start seeing the world differently. They ask more questions. They start running their own little experiments at home or during lunch. Seriously. 

One of my student groups designed an experiment to test whether doodling improves focus and content retention during audio-type lessons. The idea stemmed from a class discussion where a student shared that she used to get in trouble for doodling during read-alouds in elementary school.
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They begin to see learning as something that belongs to them. Not to the curriculum. Not to the teacher. But to their own curious, creative minds.

Want to Try Experimental Inquiry With Your Students?

If you’re new to experimental inquiry, start small. Start with guided inquiry. Present a topic you’re already teaching and ask students to brainstorm testable questions. Offer materials you already have in the classroom. Encourage them to get creative.

Over time, step back. Let them take the reins. Help them reflect. Celebrate their discoveries, even when they “fail.” That’s part of the process.

If you’re ready to dive deeper, check out my resources on inquiry-based learning. I’ve got tools to help you scaffold inquiry, templates for experimental design, and more.

Experimental inquiry is just one powerful way to transform your classroom into a space of curiosity, discovery, and purpose. Whether you’re teaching science, art, history, or something in between, there’s a place for experimentation.
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So let’s hand over the goggles, the graph paper, the questions, and the tools, and let students lead the way.

Ready for Experimental Inquiry Resources? 

Scientific Inquiry on the Blog

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