The Student-Inquirer Identity during the Master Thesis in an Online University

Abstract

When students are conducting their research project as part of their studies, they can be better prepared for the societal and professional challenges of the future. This study contributes to the research of the inquirer identity by elaborating a model for the assessment of student-inquirer identity skills in light of the development of a master thesis in an education-related field in an online university. The model presents student-inquirer identity as a dynamic multiplicity of ten skills related to the five phases of the practice of inquiry (search and focus, understand and explore, design and implement, interpret/evaluate and reflect, write and present). Based on the model, a questionnaire that measures students’ inquiry skills during the development of the master thesis was constructed. The questionnaire is comprised of ten sub-scales with 42 Likert-type items in total. 154 students of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya responded to the questionnaire. Findings revealed that, overall, online students develop inquiry skills to a moderate extent while conducting their master thesis.