Inquiry-Based Science Education, as a pedagogical approach, is not linked to a specific activity or content; rather, it is enacted through interactions between students and teachers, mediated by materials, norms, knowledge, and practices. This theoretical article examines the relationship of students and classroom materials as a catalyst for constructing meaning around established scientific knowledge. By discussing the role of materials in scientific practice and their subsequent adaptation to school settings - across both experimental and non-experimental activities - these study a shift in how we view materials. Specifically, it highlights their dual roles: alternating between technical objects (tools ready for use) and epistemic objects (objects under investigation) as a defining characteristic of Inquiry-Based Science Education. This proposition does not contradict the view of “the problem” as a primary driver of interaction; instead, it demonstrates how material uncertainty is essential for intellectual engagement. The implications suggest that instructional design for Inquiry-Based Science Education must explicitly account for the ways students interact with, utilize, and deliberate upon materials throughout the investigative process.
