There is a duality that lies at the heart of the concept of inquiry. On the one hand, inquiry is a noun that is associated with a formal and regimented legal or administrative process that results in an outcome or arrives at a conclusion that is, for better or worse, accepted as a point of truth. We see manifestations of this outcome-driven conceptualisation of inquiry everywhere: coronial inquests ascertain the cause of death, the inquisitorial system of law exists to find facts and dispense justice and, despite Monty Python’s attempts to make it comical, the Spanish Inquisition remains a historically bloody episode that attempted to find and punish heretics. In this conceptualisation, the destination is paramount and the inquiry has a conclusion.
On the other hand, inquiry is a verb. Thinking of inquiry in this way is associated with asking questions or learning more or conducting an investigation into a complicated matter where what is learnt along the way matters at least as much as the conclusion – probably more. Being inquisitive is a childlike quality we aspire to as adults, an inquiring mind is a metacognitive mind that strives to consistently make meaning of life. In this conceptualisation, the journey is crucial and the inquiry’s point is to transform the inquirer.
The duality fascinates me. Within schools, depending on who wields the word, the inquiry is either the final academic product or the scholarly process. To some, the inquiry is the science report, the finished painting or the 3-D printed ‘widget’. Teachers urge students to meet the deadline, students dutifully put their eyes firmly on the finish line and the task is scaffolded so tightly that every academic work is a carbon copy of the one before it. To others, the inquiry is the synthesis of ideas, the challenging of views, the boldness to have original thoughts. Teachers urge students to try and love the questions, students engage with the process rather than the outcome and every academic work is an original product of that child’s mind. Can I quantify the difference in the approaches? Probably not. But that’s not the point.
Inquiry is like Ithaca. “With the great wisdom you have gained, with so much experience, you must surely have understood by now what inquiry means.”
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Journey to Ithaca 