Abstract
Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) has driven curriculum reforms in science education globally,
with many educators teaching science as inquiry, in the hope of improving learners’
understandings of scientific concepts and improving achievements in standardised tests. The
curiosity of whether learners’ engagements and understandings of the Nature of Scientific
Inquiry (NOSI) is capable of improving achievement in standardised Physical Sciences tests is
important in validating the global emphasis on Inquiry Based Science Education (IBSE). The
main aim of this study was to assess grade twelve Physical Sciences learners’ understandings
about the NOSI using the Views About Scientific Inquiry (VASI) questionnaire and then
compare VASI scores with achievement scores obtained from the National Senior Certificate
(NSC) preparatory Physical Sciences examination, a standardised provincial test used in
preparing matriculants for the final NSC grade twelve examinations. The study followed a
cross-sectional survey design, and involved one hundred and seven (107) grade twelve learners
from three Johannesburg high schools. Data were collected using the adopted VASI
questionnaire. Responses from the VASI questionnaire were coded and scored with the aid of
a rubric. VASI scores were compared against the NSC preparatory test scores using descriptive
and inferential statistics...