The scientific community continues to give conflicting impressions about the contribution of laboratory activities to science learning and yet ignores the views of students who are the focus of learning. In this paper, we reviewed postsecondary school students' experiences in the science laboratories. Students were most concerned about the impact of the laboratory activities and their preferences pointed more towards greater independent, participatory and interactive learning engagements. This review has implied that students should not be left out in science laboratory learning reform efforts and their views about what obtains in the science laboratories should be routinely monitored to inform such reforms.

Students' attitude towards a subject is a key indicator of academic performance, therefore its enhancement is imperative for academic success. A sample of 328 grade eleven students was selected using cluster random sampling. Two different study groups; the experimental and control groups, were composed and exposed to the guided inquiry and demonstration methods of teaching chemistry experiments respectively. The Non-equivalent control group research design was employed with instruction lasting six weeks. Data on pre-test and post-test attitudes were collected using a 25-item attitude towards teaching and learning chemistry through experiment survey. Comparisons of mean attitude scores were made between the experimental and control groups, and between the pre-test and post-test for each group. The Mann-Whitney U test analyses indicated a higher mean attitude score for the control group. However, the difference in the mean scores was not statistically significant. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test analyses indicated statistically significant differences between the pre-test and post-test attitude mean scores for both independent groups. These outcomes show that both methods of teaching chemistry through experiments enhance students' attitudes to essentially the same extent. These findings imply that Liberian teachers can enhance students' attitudes through demonstrations. Keywords: chemistry experiments, demonstration, guided inquiry, non-equivalent control group, students’ attitude

No abstract

While a plethora of researchers have acknowledged the importance of learning cycles as a model of instruction in a constructivist supported enquiry science education, the rising number of learning cycle models however raises compelling questions about validity, hence the need for a comprehensive overview and analysis of the comparative strengths and weaknesses of these models. This paper examined among the very many, four major learning cycles; 3E, 5E, 7E and 9E, on the scales of knowledge construction, to provide adequate information for decision making regarding their preference and use. While the 3E provides the very basic framework for expansion, it missed addressing the learners’ initial dialogic engagement with teachers as well as summative evaluation of learning. Critical analysis informed the conclusion that there are three main goals common to the learning cycles under review namely; the development of conceptual understanding, process skills and critical thinking. A well-planned and implemented 5E model generally meets the inquiry-based constructivist learning goals, although it is silent on transfer of knowledge outside of the classroom. This transfer of knowledge, provided for in the 7E, is the major meaningful difference between 5E and 7E. The three new phases introduced in the 9E, Echo, Emend and E-search, were assessed to be redundant. After a thorough needs assessment of the phases of the learning cycles under review, a six-phase learning cycle is proposed comprising Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate and Extend.

No abstract