ERIC Number: EJ935950
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0263-5143
EISSN: N/A
Designing Experiments on Thermal Interactions by Secondary-School Students in a Simulated Laboratory Environment
Lefkos, Ioannis; Psillos, Dimitris; Hatzikraniotis, Euripides
Research in Science & Technological Education, v29 n2 p189-204 2011
Background and purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the effect of investigative activities with manipulations in a virtual laboratory on students' ability to design experiments. Sample: Fourteen students in a lower secondary school in Greece attended a teaching sequence on thermal phenomena based on the use of information and communication technology, and specifically of the simulated virtual laboratory "ThermoLab". Design and methods: A pre-post comparison was applied. Students' design of experiments was rated in eight dimensions; namely, hypothesis forming and verification, selection of variables, initial conditions, device settings, materials and devices used, process and phenomena description. A three-level ranking scheme was employed for the evaluation of students' answers in each dimension. Results: A Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed a statistically significant difference between the students' pre- and post-test scores. Additional analysis by comparing the pre- and post-test scores using the Hake gain showed high gains in all but one dimension, which suggests that this improvement was almost inclusive. Conclusions: We consider that our findings support the statement that there was an improvement in students' ability to design experiments. (Contains 2 notes, 1 table and 4 figures.)
Descriptors: Computer Uses in Education, Science Laboratories, Foreign Countries, Scores, Science Instruction, Secondary School Science, Thermodynamics, Educational Technology, Pretests Posttests, Science Experiments, Instructional Design
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Greece
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A