Inquiry-induced Stress? Physiological Stress Levels of Lower Secondary School Students in Inquiry-based Situations in Science Classes

Abstract

In recent years, psychological strain among young people has increased worldwide due to numerous social crises. School and classroom performance requirements are primary sources of stress for students. Classroom stress emerges when the demands of a teaching situation surpass personal resources, such as self-efficacy beliefs (SEB). Scientific inquiry-based activities, including experiments or modeling, pose a significant challenge in science lessons because students have limited resources in this area, even by the end of lower secondary school. Consequently, an elevated stress level is anticipated in such situations. This exploratory study examined secondary school students’ heart rate variability (n = 86 valid data sets), an indicator of physiological stress, during inquiry-based and non-inquiry-based (communication) situations in science lessons. Moreover, a hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted to investigate whether stress levels differed as a function of individual dispositions that encompassed both stress levels and scientific SEBs. Overall, no significantly elevated stress level was observed during inquiry-based situations. Nevertheless, three types of students with different physiological stress responses were identified, suggesting that individual dispositions are pivotal in guiding personalized stress prevention in science lessons.