Toward a Student-Centered Classification of Inquiry-Based Learning: Evidence of Validity and Differential Effects on Chinese Writing Outcomes

Abstract

In mainland China, a teacher-centered tradition has produced a rigid curriculum that marginalizes student-centeredness. Despite its pedagogical potential, inquiry-based learning (IBL) remains largely confined to limited implementations and theoretical discourse, while existing classification frameworks privilege the teacher’s provision and overlook learners’ engagement, thereby obscuring distinctions among IBL levels and their differential effects on learning outcomes. This study therefore aims to develop a student-centered classification framework and to examine how differentiated IBL levels relate to students’ learning achievements. Using data from 196 junior secondary students in Shenzhen, a mixed-methods approach was employed, integrating student self-answered keyword-based thematic and content analysis with comparative statistical analyses across four levels of inquiry. Results show that student engagement as a learner-centered criterion for differentiating four inquiry levels, with higher-order inquiry associated with greater engagement and substantially stronger Chinese writing outcomes. These findings extend IBL research into Chinese writing classrooms and provide practical guidance for writing development through the interactive influence of inquiry-based instruction and student engagement.