Inquiry-based Laboratory Research Articles

Laboratório desafiador e história da ciência: um relato de experiência com o experimento de Oersted

http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-7941.2017v34n1p176Este trabalho relata a utilização de um modelo de laboratório problematizador que parte de um experimento histórico como problema a ser investigado. A proposta elaborada e executada apresenta-se como uma das possibilidades de inserção da abordagem histórica em sala de aula. A metodologia de utilização da atividade experimental segundo o referencial construtivista, o material histórico elaborado sob a perspectiva da moderna historiografia da ciência e a atitude do professor como mediador na atividade, buscam permitir o desenvolvimento de competências argumentativas e a compreensão de conceitos de eletromagnetismo por estudantes do terceiro ano do Ensino Médio de uma escola pública do estado da Paraíba.

An inquiry-based freshman biochemistry lab set to enhance students' autonomy

Inquiry-based laboratory sessions are recognized for contributing to enhancing students' autonomy and they were used in the reorganization of the Biochemistry laboratory offered to freshman Biology students in this university. Students were previously asked to follow rigid laboratory protocols attempting to achieve the correct results of their experiments. The inquiry-based activities were designed to develop students autonomy to plan and to perform experiments, as well as communicating and discussing their results. The inquiry-based and autonomy approach followed is classified in the literature as Organizational, Procedural, and Cognitive. The levels of autonomy required from students were increased sequentially. The first activity was the least demanding, since the students received detailed instructions from the worksheet. The activities became gradually more complex, transferring to students most decisions on setting up and performing the experiments. Student skill improvement was obtained, as verified by excerpts from student reports, by data obtained from content analysis of the exams, and scientific report scores indicate that this approach may have stimulated the improvement of several skills related to different autonomy aspects. Most important, students showed increased ownership of the laboratory materials, reagents, laboratory environment and especially of learning, showing a sense of active participation in the experimental activities.

Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, and Hearing Signing Undergraduates' Attitudes toward Science in Inquiry-Based Biology Laboratory Classes.

For science learning to be successful, students must develop attitudes toward support future engagement with challenging social issues related to science. This is especially important for increasing participation of students from underrepresented populations. This study investigated how participation in inquiry-based biology laboratory classes affected students' attitudes toward science, focusing on deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing signing students in bilingual learning environments (i.e., taught in American Sign Language and English). Analysis of reflection assignments and interviews revealed that the majority of students developed positive attitudes toward science and scientific attitudes after participating in inquiry-based biology laboratory classes. Attitudinal growth appears to be driven by student value of laboratory activities, repeated direct engagement with scientific inquiry, and peer collaboration. Students perceived that hands-on experimentation involving peer collaboration and a positive, welcoming learning environment were key features of inquiry-based laboratories, affording attitudinal growth. Students who did not perceive biology as useful for their majors, careers, or lives did not develop positive attitudes. Students highlighted the importance of the climate of the learning environment for encouraging student contribution and noted both the benefits and pitfalls of teamwork. Informed by students' characterizations of their learning experiences, recommendations are made for inquiry-based learning in college biology.

Assessing students' ability to critically evaluate evidence in an inquiry-based undergraduate laboratory course.

The ability to critically evaluate and use evidence from one's own work or from primary literature is invaluable to any researcher. These skills include the ability to identify strengths and weakness of primary literature, to gauge the impact of research findings on a field, to identify gaps in a field that require more research, and to contextualize findings within a field. This study developed a model to examine undergraduate science students' abilities to critically evaluate and use evidence through an analysis of laboratory reports from control and experimental groups in nonresearch-aligned and research-aligned inquiry-based laboratory classes, respectively, and contrasted these with published scientific research articles. The reports analyzed (n = 42) showed that students used evidence in a variety of ways, most often referring to literature indirectly, and least commonly highlighting limitations of literature. There were significant positive correlations between grade awarded and the use of references, evidence, and length, but there were no significant differences between control and experimental groups, so data were pooled. The use of evidence in scientific research articles (n = 7) was similar to student reports except that expert authors were more likely to refer to their own results and cite more references. Analysis showed that students, by the completion of the second year of their undergraduate degree, had expertise approaching that of published authors. These findings demonstrate that it is possible to provide valuable broad-scale undergraduate research experiences to all students in a cohort, giving them exposure to the methods and communication processes of research as well as an opportunity to hone their critical evaluation skills.

High school students' engagement in planning investigations: findings from a longitudinal study in Spain

This paper examines the process of high school students' planning investigations in the chemistry laboratory across two consecutive academic years in terms of their actions and their progress. The context is a set of five inquiry-based laboratory tasks in which participants (9th and 10th graders, 14–15 and 15–16 years of age) are required to plan and carry out investigations to solve contextualized problems. Data collection includes audio and video recordings of students' conversations and actions, as well as students' written products. For the analysis, two different rubrics have been developed, based on students' discourse and actions. Rubric 1, examining the students' actions related to planning investigations, consists of five categories that correspond to some of the operations assessed in the competency of assessing and designing scientific inquiry (OECD,PISA 2015 Draft Science Framework, 2013). Rubric 2, analyzing students' progress in planning investigations, consists of four levels of proficiency depending on: (a) the adequacy of their proposals to solve the issues addressed in each task and (b) their level of requirement of help from the teacher or not to complete the plan. The main findings point to a range of levels of achievement among groups and tasks, as well as in the type of scaffolding required from the teacher. Regarding the students' progression in the practice of planning, all groups evidence general progress from the beginning to the end of the study.

Characterizing Teaching Assistants’ Knowledge and Beliefs Following Professional Development Activities within an Inquiry-Based General Chemistry Context

The purpose of this investigation was to explore changes in undergraduate and graduate teaching assistants’ (TAs’) content knowledge and beliefs about teaching within the context of an inquiry-based laboratory course. TAs received professional development (PD), which was informed by the TA training literature base and was designed for TAs implementing a guided inquiry approach to general chemistry laboratory instruction. TAs engaged in ∼20 h of presemester PD and ∼30 h of weekly follow-up PD during the semester. The study utilized a multiple-methods approach within a social constructivist framework to assess changes in the TAs. Participants included eight graduate TAs and five undergraduate TAs. Data collection included TA pre-PD, post-PD, and semester-end surveys and two interviews of a subset of participants. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and nonparametric statistics, and the qualitative data were analyzed using systematic data analysis. The results indicate that TAs’ content kno...

Aprendizaje de las reacciones químicas a través de actividades de indagación en el laboratorio sobre cuestiones de la vida cotidiana

En este artículo se examinan los desempeños del alumnado de secundaria durante la resolución de dos actividades de indagación sobre las reacciones químicas, en las que tienen que planificar cómo resolver cuestiones relacionadas con la vida cotidiana. Los participantes son estudiantes de 3.º de ESO que cursan la materia de Física y Química y que trabajan en pequeños grupos. Para el análisis se recogen las respuestas escritas de cada pequeño grupo relativas a la planificación de la investigación, toma de datos y elaboración del informe final para cada tarea. Los resultados principales apuntan a una evolución en los desempeños del alumnado relativos a algunas operaciones de indagación, así como también a ciertas dificultades relativas al diseño de las investigaciones.

ACQUISITION OF STUDENT SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY SKILLS: CENTRALISED EXAMINATION RESULTS IN CHEMISTRY

From 2011, the new educational standard in Latvia in the framework of the educational reform on the centralised examination (CE) in chemistry stipulates students to demonstrate the inquiry skills they have mastered. The purpose of this study is to find out the students’ inquiry skills by analysing the CE results in chemistry. This study addresses the following research questions: (a) To what extent are the centralised examination inquiry skills measured according to the standard outcomes? (b) What information on how students have mastered the inquiry skills in chemistry is available from the CE results for the period of 2011-2015? (c) Does measuring the inquiry skills using inquiry-based laboratory work and inquiry tasks demonstrate similar achievements? The results of the study show that the CE inquiry tasks allow examining only several inquiry skills, that students have difficulties in hypothesizing and planning the procedure. The results of the examination inquiry task (the 'hidden' part) and inquiry-based laboratory work (the part prepared by the school) differ considerably. These findings show a contradiction. On the one hand, when carrying out a inquiry-based laboratory work at school students demonstrate good inquiry skills. On the other hand, they lack the skills when solving an inquiry task during the centralised examination. This proves the insufficient skills of the teachers in organising real student scientific inquiry during lessons and failure in using the inquiry-based laboratory work record as an objective measuring tool in evaluating the student inquiry skills in the examination, which is our case.

Innovations in Physics Education: Impact of Inquiry-based Laboratory Format on Students’ Perceptions and Learning Gains

Innovations in Physics Education: Impact of Inquiry-based Laboratory Format on Students’ Perceptions and Learning Gains

Developing Students’ Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Analysis Skills in an Inquiry-Based Synthetic Organic Laboratory Course

A course is described where students are engaged in an inquiry-based quarter-long research project to synthesize a known pharmaceutical target. Students use literature search engines, such as Reaxys and SciFinder, and the primary chemical literature as resources to plan and perform the synthesis of their pharmaceutical target. Through this process, students develop critical thinking, problem solving, and data analysis skills in the laboratory setting. Teaching assistants guide students through three phases of the research process: (1) literature-based proposal, (2) experimentation and analysis, and (3) communication of research findings by oral presentation and written report. This course is designed for upper-division chemistry majors, taken as the third-quarter organic laboratory class after two quarters of introductory laboratory courses and two quarters of the associated organic chemistry lecture courses. Nine different teaching assistants have taught the course described to over 90 students in four d...

Wiki Laboratory Notebooks: Supporting Student Learning in Collaborative Inquiry-Based Laboratory Experiments

Recent examples of high-impact teaching practices in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory that include course-based undergraduate research experiences and inquiry-based experiments require new approaches to assessing individual student learning outcomes. Instructors require tools and strategies that can provide them with insight into individual student contributions to collaborative group/teamwork throughout the processes of experimental design, data analysis, display and communication of their outcomes in relation to their research question(s). Traditional assessments in the form of laboratory notebooks or experimental reports provide limited insight into the processes of collaborative inquiry-based activities. A wiki environment offers a collaborative domain that can potentially support collaborative laboratory processes and scientific record keeping. In this study, the effectiveness of the wiki in supporting laboratory learning and assessment has been evaluated through analysis of the content and histories for three consenting, participating groups of students. The conversational framework has been applied to map the relationships between the instructor, tutor, students and laboratory activities. Analytics that have been applied to the wiki platform include: character counts, page views, edits, timelines and the extent and nature of the contribution by each student to the wiki. Student perceptions of both the role and the impact of the wiki on their experiences and processes have also been collected. Evidence has emerged from this study that the wiki environment has enhanced co-construction of understanding of both the experimental process and subsequent communication of outcomes and data. A number of features are identified to support success in the use of the wiki platform for laboratory notebooks.

Investigating pre-service science teachers’ laboratory approach choices

The main focus of the current study was to determine what kind of laboratory approaches will be designed how this process will be evaluated by pre-service teachers. The study was carried out on the basis of a qualitative paradigm. The study group of the research consisted of 40 pre-service science teachers. In the current study, the application was conducted within the Laboratory Applications in Science I-II courses at two stages. The per stage was conducted in 14 weeks (four hours per weeks). The first stage of the process (14 weeks) started with a theoretical presentation introducing laboratory approaches and was conducted with the guidance of five experiment manuals designed on the basis of different laboratory approaches ranging from a confirmatory laboratory approach to an inquiry-based learning by the researcher. In the second stage, the pre-service teachers were asked to examine the units and objectives of the Science Curriculum Program and then were asked to select a laboratory approach and set the objectives to design an activity manual. The pre-service teachers worked for five weeks to determine the objectives, find the appropriate approach and design an experiment manual in line with the selected approach. Then, each group conducted the laboratory class under the guidance of their experiment manual that they had developed for each week. The data of the study was collected within two periods through the difficulties experienced, skills attained through the process, reflective texts presenting course-related suggestions and semi-structured interviews. It was determined that the students experienced some difficulties in the selection of the laboratory approach for the given topic and the design of experiment manuals; they preferred inquiry-based learning laboratory activities as they were believed to be more effective and administration of experiment manuals to peers were believed to be conducive to professional development.Keywords:Laboratory applications in science, laboratory approaches, pre-service science teachers

An Exploratory Analysis of a Middle School Science Curriculum: Implications for Students With Learning Disabilities

An exploratory study of a middle school curriculum directly aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards was conducted with a focus on how the curriculum addresses the instructional needs of students with learning disabilities. A descriptive analysis of a lesson on speed and velocity was conducted and implications discussed for students with learning disabilities. Areas of strength are noted, including the use of color-coded equations, teacher demos, visual learning, and inquiry-based labs. It was determined that situations likely to create difficulties for students with learning disabilities include a heavy emphasis on reading and fast-paced, verbally demanding, discussion-based activities.

Adopting Inquiry-Based Laboratory

Adopting Inquiry-Based Laboratory

The Effect of Inquiry-Based Laboratory Applications on Students’ Motivation and Learning Strategies

Article History: Received 11.10.2015 Received in revised form 17.12.2015 Accepted 01.01.2016 Available online 21.03.2016 This study aims to investigate the effects of inquiry-based laboratory applications on students’ motivation and learning strategies. The research was conducted in the form of one group pretest – posttest design. 22 undergraduate students taking the course Chemistry Experiments in Secondary Education in the spring semester of 2014-2015 academic year were included in the research. Chemistry Motivation Questionnaire and Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire were employed in the research as the tool of data collection. Paired-samples t test was used for related samples in order to check whether or not students’ pre-experimental and post-experimental motivations and their learning strategies differed significantly. The findings obtained demonstrated that intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, self-determination and career motivation – which were the sub-dimensions of motivationapart from grade motivation and organization, elaboration, critical thinking and metacognitive self-regulation – which were the sub-dimensions of learning strategiesdeveloped significantly as a result of laboratory applications based on inquiry.

Impacts of Inquiry-Based Laboratory Experiments on Prospective Teachers’ Communication Skills

Article History: Received 31.01.2016 Received in revised form 23.03.2016 Accepted 30.03.2016 Available online 31.03.2016 This research project aims to improve the communications skills of prospective teachers by using inquiry-based laboratory experiments (IBLE). The prospective teachers (n = 78) received theoretical training on inquiry, nature of science, and communication skills in the first term, while 40 experiments were carried out by inquiry-based learning applications in the second term. A mixed approach was applied by using a scale for assessing communication skills as both a pre-test and a post-test to obtain quantitative data, whereas 5 interview questions were used to obtain the qualitative data. There was a statistically significant variation between the pre-test and post-test communication skills scores (t (78) = 5.83, p < 0.00), which they indicated being patient, listening to each other, reducing prejudice, being respectful and knowing each other as learned and improved skills. The same students, however, had problems such as a lack of a sense of responsibility, insufficient concept-related theoretical knowledge and problems about task sharing, writing reports and getting jobs completed on time. © 2016 IOJES. All rights reserved

Argument-Driven Inquiry with Scaffolding as the Development Strategies of Argumentation and Critical Thinking Skills of Students in Lampung, Indonesia

Argumentation skills as a form of communication to externalize ideas through scientific discourse is a very important process in learning of biology. Develop strategies argumentation can be one of the alternatives that can help students to improve their critical thinking skills. Students can demonstrate their critical thinking skills, especially in inquiry-based laboratory activities. Therefore, the learning process that uses the inquiry-based laboratory experiments to establish scientific arguments should be designed to develop the argumentation and critical thinking skills of student. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Argument-Driven Inquiry (ADI) strategy, Argument-Driven Inquiry with Scaffolding (ADIS) strategy, and conventional strategy on the argumentation and critical thinking skills of pre-service sience teachers in Faculty of Teacher Training and Education of Lampung University. The study had been carried out in Quasi-Experiment of Pretest-Posttest Nonequivalent Control Group design. The data of the study were collected through argumentation and critical thinking tests before and after the implementation the learning strategies. The data were analyzed by using MANCOVA and were tested in terms of the normality and homogeneity beforehand. The result of the study showed that there were significant differences in the argumentation skill between the learning activities which implemented ADI, ADIS, and conventional strategies. ADIS learning strategy was more effective in improving the students’ argumentation skills compared to ADI and conventional learning strategies. Meanwhile, ADIS strategy was as effective as ADI strategy in improving the students’ critical thinking skills than conventional strategy. This study also showed that the students’ argumentation and critical thinking skills are similar or almost similar between two academic abilities (high and low) when ADIS was applied.

Electrochemical Sensors to Detect Heavy Metals and Carcinogenic Compounds: Inquiry-Based Modules to Meet Today's Interest

The developments of novel electrochemical sensors to detect phenol (phenol derivatives) and heavy metals in solution have been a focus of our inquiry-based laboratory experiences. Our students are engaged into the applications of Controlled Potential Electrolysis (CPE) to create a modified working electrode to detect the common contaminants such as phenols and heavy metals in solutions by electroanalytical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), and square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV). Additional analytical instrumentation skills were required through out these inquiry-based learning experiences to confirm the modified working electrodes (TiO2/ZrO2, Polymers and Carbon Nanotube, CNT) were electrochemically created by such instrumentation such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman Spectroscopy and X-Ray Fluorescence. The students content gains were assessed through out these lab modules according to the R.R. Hake’ method. These content gains assessed will be discussed as well to exemplify the inquiry-based learning experiences of our undergraduate students experiences to meet the needs of todays workforce.

Examining microbial biodiversity in soil: A research‐based introductory biology laboratory course

We report a novel introductory biology laboratory course designed as an independent, on‐going research program, with students as the primary researchers. This course aims to develop an understanding for biology through inquiry‐based laboratory experiments, and specific learning objectives are listed in Table 1. Students work in teams to collect, analyze, and present original data while learning core concepts and laboratory methods. Specifically, we examine if and how soil microbiomes are different for native vs. invasive plant species in the Southern California diversity hotspot. Students analyze soil properties such as moisture and pH and correlate them to functional and genetic biodiversity of microbiomes, assessed by carbon source utilization and 16S rDNA sequencing. Together, these elements span macroscopic to molecular scales, providing opportunities to connect student learning across biology disciplines.This presentation will focus on the design, implementation, and evaluation of the course. Laboratory experiments are designed to be completed by introductory students within a 3‐hour laboratory and 1.5‐hour lecture per week while allowing for the reliable collection of research data. We found that student‐generated data are consistent across groups: soil genomic DNA preparations and PCR clean‐up reactions have standard deviations &lt;10% of average DNA concentrations, and &gt;95% of PCRs result in products at appropriate sizes. Student outcomes are evaluated by pre‐ and post‐surveys and ‐tests to track changes affective domain (Science Motivation Questionnaire II), self‐efficacy in research skills (Classroom Undergraduate Research Experience survey), and ability to draw conclusions based on data (open‐ended questions that test scientific argumentation). Learning objectives Activities Student assessments Understand functional and genetic biodiversity Discuss material in laboratory and lectures Quizzes in lectures, laboratory reports Develop testable hypotheses and design controlled experiments Carry out scientific processes in the context of the course Data collection by students, laboratory reports Draw conclusions based on data and evidence Analyze and discuss laboratory data using statistics Figures and results in laboratory reports Communicite scientific results in a publication‐style laboratory report Write, review, and revise laboratory reports Laboratory reports, peer review of laboratory reports

PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS' BELIEFS ABOUT THE IMAGE OF A SCIENCE TEACHER AND SCIENCE TEACHING

This study examines pre-service teachers’ beliefs about the images of a science teacher and the science teaching. Besides, how their beliefs are affected from inquiry-based teaching is investigated. Case study method was used. Pre-service teachers had learned science with inquiry and how they teach science with inquiry in the science laboratory. Data were collected through the drawings and semi-structured interviews. Results indicate that most participants had teacher-centered and conceptual belief about the images of a science teacher and the science teaching at the beginning of the study. However, they had student-centered belief at the end of the study. It was remarked that three pre-service teachers who held different beliefs about student/teacher roles and the teaching of science before the study, had some common beliefs after the inquiry-based science laboratory. Based on the results, it can be said that inquiry-based science teaching positively affects pre-service teachers’ beliefs about the images of a science teacher and the science teaching. Key words: belief about teaching, inquiry-based teaching, mental image, pre-service teachers’ education.