Inquiry-Based Laboratory Activities in Electrochemistry: High School Students' Achievements and Attitudes

Sesen B., Tarhan L.

RESEARCH IN SCIENCE EDUCATION, cilt.43, sa.1, ss.413-435, 2013 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 43 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2013
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s11165-011-9275-9
  • Dergi Adı: RESEARCH IN SCIENCE EDUCATION
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.413-435
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Attitude towards chemistry laboratory, Attitude towards chemistry lesson, Chemistry education, Electrochemistry, Inquiry-based laboratory, SCIENCE-EDUCATION, INSTRUCTION, CHEMISTRY, MISCONCEPTIONS, SKILLS
  • İstanbul Üniversitesi-Cerrahpaşa Adresli: Hayır

Özet

This study aimed to investigate the effects of inquiry-based laboratory activities on high school students' understanding of electrochemistry and attitudes towards chemistry and laboratory work. The participants were 62 high school students (average age 17 years) in an urban public high school in Turkey. Students were assigned to experimental (N = 30) and control groups (N = 32). The experimental group was taught using inquiry-based laboratory activities developed by the researchers and the control group was instructed using traditional laboratory activities. The results of the study indicated that instruction based on inquiry-based laboratory activities caused a significantly better acquisition of scientific concepts related to electrochemistry, and produced significantly higher positive attitudes towards chemistry and laboratory. In the light of the findings, it is suggested that inquiry-based laboratory activities should be developed and applied to promote students' understanding in chemistry subjects and to improve their positive attitudes.