Inquiry Based Laboratory Instructions (IBLI) and the Right to Education Act 2009: A Conceptual Analysis of Child Centred and Activity Based Learning Principles

Mithlesh Kumar; Prasamita Mohanty

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i05.89964

Inquiry Based Laboratory Instructions (IBLI) and the Right to Education Act 2009: A Conceptual Analysis of Child Centred and Activity Based Learning Principles

Author(s)	Mr. Mithlesh Kumar, Dr. Prasamita Mohanty
Country	India
Abstract	The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE Act, 2009) emphasizes child centred, activity based, discovery oriented and exploratory learning through its curricular provisions under Section 29. Although these principles have important implications for science education, limited research has systematically examined their conceptual relationship with Inquiry Based Laboratory Instructions (IBLI). The present paper addresses this gap by examining how IBLI can be aligned with the child centred and activity based learning principles reflected in the RTE Act. A conceptual and policy analysis methodology was adopted, involving examination of the RTE Act, Government of India policy documents, the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) 2023, and relevant scholarly literature on inquiry based science and laboratory learning. The analysis conceptualises IBLI as a learner centred pedagogical approach involving questioning, prediction, investigation, experimentation, observation, evidence collection, analysis, explanation and reflection. The findings indicate substantial conceptual correspondence between IBLI and the RTE principles of learning through activities, discovery and exploration, child centred learning, all round development and continuous evaluation. The analysis further indicates that IBLI can provide a pedagogical mechanism for translating these principles into laboratory based scientific learning, with potential relevance to scientific process skills, conceptual understanding, reasoning and problem solving. However, the paper does not claim that IBLI is legally mandated by the RTE Act or that it produces causal learning effects. The study proposes an IBLI-RTE alignment framework and discusses implications for science curriculum, teacher education, assessment and inclusive laboratory practice.
Keywords	Inquiry Based Laboratory Instructions (IBLI), Right to Education Act 2009, Activity Based Learning, Science Education, Inquiry Based Learning, Experiential Learning.
Field	Sociology > Education
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 5, September-October 2026
Published On	2026-10-16
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i05.89964

View / Download PDF File

About IJFMR Fees & Payment Current Issue Publication Archive	Submit Research Paper Track Submission Status Publication Guidelines Publication Ethics Peer Review & Plagiarism	Join as a Reviewer Editors & Reviewers Reviewer Referral Program Get Reviewer Membership Certi.	Website/Journal Policies Usage Policy Content Policies Privacy Policy

Contact Us		+91-9687-828-838	editor@ijfmr.com

International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

A Widely Indexed Open Access Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Bi-monthly Scholarly International Journal

Inquiry Based Laboratory Instructions (IBLI) and the Right to Education Act 2009: A Conceptual Analysis of Child Centred and Activity Based Learning Principles

Share this