Homogenous grouping of high school students in physics labs to promote engagement

Abstract

Due to equipment and time restraints, high school physics labs are done primarily in groups. Group work is regarded as beneficial for students also to aid in learning in with groups. Often times, however, I have observed one or two students will complete the labs while other lab members are minimally or not contributing. Typically, I organize students randomly in groups by physical location in the room or let them choose their own groups. For this study, homogenous groups of three or four students were established based on survey questions regarding student's opinion of group work and grade expectation for this high school physics class. The goal was to determine if the homogenous groups would be more engaged and active in labs. The physics class is a nine-week block schedule class that is the lowest level physics class that meets school graduation requirements. Students were observed during the term to monitor engagement which was recorded in a teach journal. Students were also given an end of the class survey to determine their opinion on the grouping in the class and the class in general. A comparison class was also given the same survey. Several students from the treatment class were also interviewed on their experience. Most students felt they were similar to their group mates and felt valued and safe to contribute. However, this didn't translate to enjoying the class or feeling that labs were a positive to all students. The most positive result was that students that normally feel that they can't participate in labs, felt comfortable contributing. Another interesting trend was that a newly added experiment of making a paper cup speaker during our magnet and electricity sections was the favorite of all students that expressed a favorite lab. The students enjoyed making an object that they use in everyday life.