The effects of laboratory activities on improving science content mastery

Abstract

The research presented in this paper was designed to evaluate whether laboratory activities provided in a science content course improved the students' content mastery as well as their performance on formal assessments. Following the completion of the week's new science content, students were given pre-lab assessments prior to attending the supporting laboratory activity via the Smart Response Clicker System. The same assessment was given using the same data collection instrument in order to measure the class's improvement. Data showed that all three class periods increased their overall class average substantially. Students who participated in the Student Survey on Laboratory Activities provided positive feedback concerning the usefulness and value of laboratory activities on their personal learning.