The Impact of Experiments on Students
Keywords:
Science, experiment, students, scientific discourse, engagementAbstract
Experiments engage students and improve their academic performance. Studies support this claim through the use of qualitative and quantitative methods. Research also suggests that there is an emotional component to the benefits of experiments. Qualitative results showed an increase in student interest and engagement for students that participated in the experiment. Quantitative results showed an increase in academic achievement for students that participated in the experiment. Scientific discourse also showed to be a valuable component of experiments as the scientific discourse creates a stronger scientific discipline. New programs and research are also generating new ways to analyze the scientific discourse, turning qualitative data to quantitative data. Overall, experiments are useful tools to generate interest and increase academic success.
References
Bae, C. Mills, D. Zhang, F. Martinique, S. Cabrera, L. Sea, M. (2021). A systematic review of
science discourse in K–12 urban classrooms in the United States: Accounting for individual, collective, and contextual factors. Review of Educational Research, 91(6), 1-24. DOI:https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543211042415
Dhanapal, S. & Shan, E. (2014). A study on the effectiveness of hands-on experiments in
learning science among year 4 students. International Online Journal of Primary Education. 3(1), 1-12. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351985060
Itzek-Greulich, H. & Vollmer, C. (2017). Emotional and motivational outcomes of lab work in
the secondary intermediate track: The contribution of a science center outreach lab. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. 51(1), 3-28. DOI: 10.1002/tea.21334
Lee, S. & Irving, K. (2018). Development of two-dimensional Classroom Discourse Analysis
Tool (CDAT): scientific reasoning and dialog patterns in the secondary science classes. International Journal of STEM Education. 5(5), 1-17. DOI 10.1186/s40594-018-0100-0
Li, R. & Wong, T. (2018). Teaching them before we teach: The effectiveness of conducting
classroom experiments before teaching the underlying theory. IAFOR Journal of Education. 6(3), 1-15. DOI: 10.22492/ije.6.3.05
Ohio Department of Education. (2019, May). Ohio's Learning Standards. Columbus.
Spiegel, J. (2012). The Three Dimensions of the Next Generation Science Standards. San Diego; National Research Council. https://www.nextgenscience.org/
