Does the Beach-Spawning Grunion Eat Its Own Eggs? Eighth Graders Use Inquiry-Based Investigation to Collect Real Data in a University Laboratory

Abstract

A collaborative effort between a junior high school and a nearby university allowed 40 eighth-grade honors students to engage in a scientific investigation within a university laboratory. These students, with their science teachers and university researchers, gathered data on egg cannibalism in a beach-spawning fish and thereby contributed to an ongoing research project. Our objectives were to provide a scientific learning experience for the students and introduce them to a college setting. A survey, given 2.5 years after the investigation, found that most of the students had increased their interest in studying science in college.