Effectiveness of the Inquiry Wheel Model in Physics Achievement among Fifth Grad Female Scientific Students

Abstract

This study investigate the effectiveness of the inquiry wheel model (IWM) on academic achievement in physics among fifth-grade female students, by testing  the null hypothesis stated that no statistically  significant difference (0.05)  exists between the mean achievement scores of the experimental group (taught via the inquiry wheel model) and the control group (taught via the traditional methods). The research was conducted at Al-Safwa High School for the Girls (Al-Qadisiyah Governorate/ Afak District) during the 2024-2025 academic year, using the standard physics textbook for the fifth-grade science. A randomized sample of two  intact classes (out of three) was selected, comprising 72 students evenly distributed into experimental (36), and control (36) groups. The groups were matched for age (in months), intelligence, and prior knowledge to ensure equivalence. To validate the investigation, 48 lesson plans were developed: 24 aligned with the IWM (experimental group) and 24 following pedagogy (control group). A 40-item multiple-choice achievement test was administrated, with established validity and reliability. The eight-week experiment involved three weekly sessions per group. Post-intervention data analyzed via SPSS revealed statistically gains in achievement scores for the experimental group compared to the control group (<0.05), supporting the efficacy of the IWM.