Effects of Guided Inquiry versus Lecture Instruction on Final Grade Distribution in a One-Semester Organic and Biochemistry Course

A comprehensive guided-inquiry approach was used in a combined organic and biochemistry course for prenursing and predietetics students rather than lecture. To assess its effectiveness, exam grades and final course grades of students in three instructional techniques were compared. The three groups were the following: (i) lecture only, (ii) lecture for the biochemistry portion and guided inquiry for the organic material, and (iii) all guided inquiry, all with the same instructor covering the same material and using the same style of assessments. When the final exam grades and the course grades of students were compared, guided-inquiry and partial guided-inquiry students had a statistically significant improvement in these grades over students taught by lecture only. This study demonstrates that guided inquiry is effective in nonscience majors' classes, for which content is often tailored to the audience.