International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Volume 2, Number 2, July 2008
Return
to current issues pageResearch Article
Excerpt
Student Perceptions of the Purpose and Function of the Laboratory
in Science: A Grounded Theory Study
The laboratory has long been an important part of the undergraduate
science experience. This paper reports on a qualitative, grounded theory
study on students’ perceptions of the purpose of the laboratory.
Thirteen undergraduate chemistry students were interviewed about their
experiences in the science laboratory to provide data on students’
understanding of the purpose of the laboratory in science education.
Results reveal that students had views that were polar opposites regarding
the correlation between laboratory and lecture content material and
the effectiveness of the laboratory at enhancing their learning in science.
This paper also reveals the need for explicit instruction regarding
the purpose of the laboratory to enhance student understanding. Interpretations
of these and other findings are provided, along with a schema for approaching
the undergraduate perception of the laboratory synthesizing current
and past findings.
View
Full ArticleBios
Cianán B. Russell
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN 47907
cianan@purdue.edu
I received my B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Iowa in 2004. I am currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Chemistry working with Gabriela Weaver and a Research Assistant for the Center for Authentic Science Practice in Education. I am also the Program Associate for the Center for Workshops in the Chemical Sciences, and will begin a Postdoctoral appointment at Georgia Institute of Technology in the fall. My research interests include the undergraduate laboratory, curriculum development, and research-based science education. These topics inform my dissertation research, which focuses on the development of a research-based undergraduate laboratory curriculum and the comparative impacts of the traditional, inquiry-based, and research-based undergraduate laboratories.
Gabriela C. Weaver
Professor of Chemistry and Science Education
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN 47907
gweaver@purdue.edu
I received my B.S. in Chemistry in 1989 from the California Institute
of Technology and my Ph.D. in Chemical Physics in 1994 from the University
of Colorado at Boulder working with Stephen Leone. I served as Assistant
Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Colorado
at Denver from 1994 to 2001. During that time I shifted the focus of
my research from physical chemistry to educational research and the
development of instructional technologies. I have been at Purdue University
since 2001. I am a Professor of Chemistry and Science Education and
am currently Director of the Center
for Authentic Science Practice in Education. I have also led several
projects to develop instructional technologies including DVDs, websites
and video games for teaching chemistry.
Website: http://www.chem.purdue.edu/people/faculty/faculty.asp?itemID=66