How the teaching and practice of scientific sketching affects the quality of scientific observations by high school students

Abstract

Could the teaching and practice of scientific sketching affect the quality of observational data collected by high school students in biology class? This question was investigated by comparing two groups of students. One group was taught about why scientific sketching is important and how to make a complete sketch. They were given time to practice their skills and direct teacher feedback after each session on how to improve their sketches. The other group of students did not receive any teacher instruction nor time to practice sketching. Through qualitative interviews and quantitative worksheets, both groups of students were evaluated on their attitudes about sketching and biology, as well as on their abilities to make qualitative observations. The data collected both before and after the scientific sketching lessons showed that not only did the treatment group's attitudes and qualitative observation skills improve post-instruction, but that attitudes and skills of the nontreatment group decreased. The conclusion was reached that scientific sketching is a useful tool in increasing student enjoyment in biology and in developing their abilities to make robust qualitative observations.