Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-2026
Publication Title
School Community Journal
Publisher
School Community Network
Abstract
This interpretive phenomenological study explores how wonder-infused pedagogy, enacted within an elementary outdoor classroom, supported the development of a community of inquiry. We position the community of inquiry as the overarching framework for cultivating social, cognitive, and teaching presence; wonder as the pedagogical driver; and outdoor learning as the authentic context for engaging in science practices. In response to schooling contexts that often privilege testing and individual achievement over collaborative inquiry, we examined an eight-week outdoor wonder project with third- through fifth-grade students. Data sources included group interviews, student journals, teacher reflections, and photographs. Students engaged in weekly wonder journaling and culminated the project in a school-based wonder fair focused on self-selected scientific phenomena. Findings indicate that wonder-infused pedagogy fostered joyful struggle, collaborative sensemaking, and shared vulnerability, strengthening students’ engagement in science practices and deepening classroom community. The teacher’s intentional design and facilitation were central to sustaining open-ended inquiry. The project also extended discourse beyond the classroom, broadening the community of inquiry to include families and the wider school community.
Recommended Citation
Gilbert, A., & Dean, S. N. (2026). A phenomenological study of teacher and student experience within a community of inquiry: Utilizing wonder-infused pedagogy in an elementary outdoor classroom. School Community Journal, 36(1), 67–92. https://www.adi.org/journal/SS2026/GilbertDean.pdf