Student Perceptions of the Value of Physics Laboratories

Deacon, Christopher G.; Hajek, Allyson

doi:10.1080/09500693.2010.481682

Cited by 37 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…While practical work has played a central and distinctive role in physics education, science education researchers (e.g., Deacon and Hajek 2011;Hofstein and Kind 2012) have been concerned that many students focus on hands-on investigation such as manipulating experimental equipment without having minds-on understanding of the relevant concepts. As indicated by von Aufschnaiter and von Aufschnaiter (2007), students should be able to formulate scientific concepts explicitly to achieve better performance and deep learning during laboratory experiments, suggesting that the role of minds-on understanding is of great importance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Taiwanese University Students’ Physics Learning Profiles and Their Role in Physics Learning Self-Efficacy

2014

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The main purposes of this study were to identify Taiwanese university students' physics learning profiles in terms of their critical conceptions of learning physics and to compare their physics learning self-efficacy with the different learning profiles. A total of 250 Taiwanese undergraduates who were majoring in physics participated in this study and were invited to complete two instruments, physics learning profile and physics learning self-efficacy (PLSE). The main results indicated that, first, the two instruments developed in this study had satisfactory validity and reliability. Second, three fundamental physics learning profiles, the reproductive, transitional, and constructive profiles, were characterized based on the cluster analysis. It is also evident that the three learning profiles demonstrated different levels of selfefficacy for the five PLSE dimensions. The students with a reproductive profile tended to possess the lowest PLSE across the five dimensions. The students with a transitional profile may possess higher confidence in higher-order cognitive skills and laboratory activities than those with a reproductive profile. However, only those with a constructive profile, highlighting a comprehensive understanding of physics knowledge/concepts as well as de-emphasizing physics learning as preparing for tests and calculating and practising tutorial problems, possessed stronger PLSE in applying what they learned to real-world contexts as well as in scientifically communicating with others.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Taiwanese University Students’ Physics Learning Profiles and Their Role in Physics Learning Self-Efficacy

2014

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“…According to several authors, during students' preparation for laboratory work, inconsistencies between the course and laboratory topics affected their performance in the laboratory (Deacon & Hajek, 2011;Hanif, Sneddon, Al-Ahmadi, & Reid, 2009). For sub-problem 1B, prospective teachers were found to have learned safety precautions at the beginning of the laboratory period, and before starting the experiment, they exhibited behaviours such as wearing lab coats and gloves, cleaning the materials to be used, arranging the chemicals, bottling waste chemicals after the experiment, washing the materials after use and storing them, cleaning their workplaces and delivering the data obtained.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many studies have shown that pre-laboratory exercises and quizzes increase understanding and positively impact students' performance (Deacon & Hajek, 2011;Johnstone, Watt, & Zaman, 1998;Reid & Shah, 2007). Prospective biology teachers developed their own study methods for laboratory work preparation; these methods included memorising, step-wise study without memorisation, plotting (drawing) and visualisation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biyoloji Öğretmen Adaylarının Kimya Laboratuvar Yaşantıları: Bir Durum Çalışması

Özgür

Şimşek

Yılmaz

2016

Necatibey Eğitim Fakültesi Elektronik Fen Ve Matematik Eğitimi Dergisi

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-This study aims to evaluate the experiences of prospective biology teachers in the chemistry laboratory. Prospective biology teachers' experiences, including their preparation for laboratory work, the duration of laboratory work, experiences following laboratory work and benefits derived from the work were investigated and methods of optimizing laboratory conditions were identified by observing current situations.Participants comprised prospective biology teachers studying at Hacettepe University in the Department of Biology Education and registered in the General Chemistry Laboratory II course. The case study research design-a qualitative research method was utilized. The data for the research were collected through interview, observation and document analysis. The results obtained were evaluated by applying content analysis to assess data. Prospective biology teachers were found to have several different types of needs with respect to chemistry laboratory experiences.

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“…Deacon and Hajek [5] performed a six-semester study of student perceptions of the value of university physics labs. They found the four greatest factors on student perception were: pressure to complete labs within the allotted time, quality of the information in the written lab manuals, help provided by the teaching staff, and students' level of preparedness.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effective closed labs in early CS courses

Patitsas

Wolfman

2012

Proceedings of the 43rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education

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We report on best practices we have established to teach first-year computer science students in closed laboratories, founded on over three years of action research in a large introductory discrete mathematics and digital logic course. Our practices have resulted in statistically significant improvements in student and teaching assistant perception of the labs. Specifically, we discuss our practices of streamlining labs to reduce load on students that is extraneous to the lab's learning goals; establishing a positive first impression for students and TAs in the early weeks of the term; and effectively managing the teaching staff, including weekly preparation meetings for TAs using and a gradual, iterative curriculum development cycle that engages all stakeholders in the course.

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Student Perceptions of the Value of Physics Laboratories

Cited by 37 publications

References 21 publications

Identifying Taiwanese University Students’ Physics Learning Profiles and Their Role in Physics Learning Self-Efficacy

Identifying Taiwanese University Students’ Physics Learning Profiles and Their Role in Physics Learning Self-Efficacy

Biyoloji Öğretmen Adaylarının Kimya Laboratuvar Yaşantıları: Bir Durum Çalışması

Effective closed labs in early CS courses

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