Inquiry- based laboratory exercises and student learning

Inquiry- based laboratory activities are a growing trend in science classrooms, especially in K-12 education. In contrast to traditional laboratory exercises in which the lab's method is clearly laid out for the students, inquiry- based laboratory activities require the students to determine the method and the data to be collected. These inquiry labs more closely mimic the process a scientist employs in his or her work. Other researchers have demonstrated that inquiry labs promote a better understanding of the nature of science and the scientific process. In this study, I was interested to see whether inquiry labs impact students' mastery of course material and/ or their attitudes about science and math. This investigation was conducted in an introductory science class primarily attended by pre-service elementary teachers. In the spring of 2014, I administered a pre and post-test to students in two sections of this course (44 students, in total). These students carried out labs in the class using a traditional format with explicit directions. In the fall of 2014, I administered the same survey to a new group of students in two sections of the course (43 students, in total). These students carried out the same labs, but used an inquiry-based approach. The data in this investigation was analyzed using a two sample t-test using SAS statistical software. I found that there was not a significant difference between the two groups in their mastery of course material or their attitudes about science and math. Although this study found that inquiry-based laboratory activities didn't improve students' mastery of course material or their attitudes about science and math, inquiry labs may still be valuable tools to teach students about the nature of science and science inquiry, although this study did not explicitly investigate these outcomes.