Neither teachers nor students know in advance the direction of the inquiry activity. Teachers may know the general category of the research students will undertake, but the specific direction of the research must be dictated by students' interest and desires. Students' attention can be focused upon a particular area of learning, but no direction should be given in advance about what will be studied. Students need to be directed to follow through the steps of the scientific method to solve problems they themselves have devised. The first inquiry skill students need to learn is that of asking questions.
Young children seem to have a never ending supply of questions.
Older children, on the other hand, rarely ask questions, preferring instead to let their teachers perform this duty. They are more accustomed to providing memorized answers to questions asked by teachers. It can be safely said that this behavior is shaped by the educational system. The consequence of this conditioning process is well established in most learners once they have spent a few years in school and can significantly interfere with their ability to formulate questions and conduct self-directed investigations. Teachers interested in promoting inquiry have a challenging task to overcome the tendency of many older students to become passive.