科学教育的重要目标和内容是科学探究，新课标的科学核心素养要求学生在不同的阶段达到相应的科学探究能力水平。现阶段学生科学探究能力的培养普遍使用实验教学的方式，而课堂中融入信息技术教育和疫情带来的对在线学习的重视使虚拟仿真实验带来的线上科学探究成了趋势。

本文通过准实验研究，选取杭州某初中5个班的学生分为线下传统讲授式科学探究班级、线上虚拟仿仿真实验演示的科学探究班级，线下真实实验科学探究的班级，线上强监督虚拟实验科学探究班级和线上弱监督的虚拟实验科学探究班级，经过同一教师、相同时间、相同课时、使用相同教学内容和教学材料，仅将教学环境分别设置为传统讲授式课堂、使用线上虚拟仿真实验演示的课堂、线下真实实验室的课堂、机房教师现场监督的线上虚拟仿真实验课堂和学生在机房进行线上虚拟仿真实验同时教师进行远程教学的课堂，探究线上科学探究和线下科学探究对提升学生的科学探究能力的效果，并比较强监督的线上科学探究和弱监督的线上科学探究对提升学生科学探究能力的差异，最后对比线上与线下科学探究对于不同学习水平学生科学探究能力的影响。

研究发现：（1）线上科学探究具有和线下科学探究同样的效果；基于虚拟仿真实验的线上科学探究和基于真实实验的线下科学探究对提升学生科学探究能力提升效果一致；（2）强监督的线上科学探究对提升学生科学探究能力的效果显著高于弱监督的线上科学探究，且弱监督的线上科学探究效果弱于传统讲授式的课堂；（3）低水平的学生在线上虚拟实验科学探究中科学探究能力的提升最多，而高水平的学生在进行线上虚拟仿真实验科学探究后，科学探究能力测评的得分有所下降；使用线上虚拟仿真实验进行演示的课堂科学探究对中高水平学生的科学探究能力提升效果比传统讲授式课堂好；教师监督有助于提升中低水平学生在线上虚拟实验科学探究的学习收获。研究结果为在线教学提供了新的思路和方法，教师可根据条件和需要选择合适的科学探究方式。研究也为未来深入探究在线虚拟仿真实验的应用价值提供了重要参考。

The important goals and content of science education are scientific inquiry, and the core scientific literacy requirement of the new curriculum standard requires students to achieve corresponding levels of scientific inquiry ability at different stages. Currently, the cultivation of students' scientific inquiry abilities generally uses experimental teaching methods, while the integration of information technology education in the classroom and the emphasis placed on online learning due to the pandemic have made virtual simulation experiments a trend for online scientific inquiry.

This article explores the effects of online and offline scientific inquiry on improving students' scientific inquiry abilities. A quasi-experimental study was conducted, selecting five classes from a middle school in Hangzhou to represent traditional offline lecture-style scientific inquiry classes, online virtual simulation experiment demonstration scientific inquiry classes, offline real experimental scientific inquiry classes, online virtual simulation experiment scientific inquiry classes with strong monitoring supervision, and online virtual simulation experiment scientific inquiry classes with weak monitoring supervision. The same teacher, same time, same class hours, and same teaching materials were used for all classes, only differing in the teaching environment - either traditional lecture-style classrooms, classrooms using virtual simulation experiments online, offline real laboratories, machine rooms where the teacher monitors virtually supervised virtual simulation experiments, or machine rooms where students conduct virtual simulation experiments online while the teacher conducts remote teaching. The research compared the effects of online and offline scientific inquiry on improving students' scientific inquiry abilities and the differences between online scientific inquiry with strong and weak monitoring supervision on improving students' scientific inquiry abilities. Finally, the impact of online and offline scientific inquiry on students' scientific inquiry abilities of different learning levels was compared.

Research findings indicate that: (1) Online scientific inquiry has the same effect as offline scientific inquiry; online scientific inquiry based on virtual simulation experiments has the same effect as offline scientific inquiry based on real experiments on improving students' scientific inquiry abilities. (2) Strongly monitored online scientific inquiry has a significantly higher effect on improving students' scientific inquiry abilities than weakly monitored online scientific inquiry, and the effect of weakly monitored online scientific inquiry is weaker than that of traditional lecture-style classes. (3) Low-level students benefit most from online virtual simulation experiment scientific inquiry, while the scores of high-level students in scientific inquiry ability evaluations decrease after conducting online virtual simulation experiment scientific inquiry. Scientific inquiry based on online virtual simulation experiment demonstration of classrooms has a better effect on improving scientific inquiry abilities for middle and high-level students than traditional lecture-style classrooms. Teacher supervision helps improve learning outcomes for low-ability students conducting online virtual simulation experiment scientific inquiries.

The research results provide new ideas and methods for online teaching, and teachers can choose suitable scientific inquiry methods according to conditions and needs. The study also provides important reference value for future research on the application value of online virtual simulation experiments.