Supporting learners’ experiment design

Inquiry learning is an educational approach in which learners actively construct knowledge and in which performing investigations and conducting experiments is central. To support learners in designing informative experiments we created a scaffold, the Experiment Design Tool (EDT), that provided learners with a step-by-step structure to select variables and to assign values to these variables, together with offering built-in heuristics for experiment design. To further structure the students’ approach, the EDT was offered within a set of detailed research questions which again were grouped under a set of broader research questions. Learning results for learners who worked with the EDT were compared to results for learners in two control conditions. In the first control condition, learners received only the detailed research questions and not the EDT; in the second control condition, learners received only the limited set of general research questions. In all conditions, learners conducted their experiments in an online learning environment about the physics topic of Archimedes’ principle. Conceptual knowledge was measured before and after the intervention using parallel forms of a knowledge test. Overall results showed significant learning gains in all three conditions, but no significant differences between conditions. However, learners who started with low prior knowledge showed a significantly higher learning gain in the EDT condition than in the two control conditions. This result indicates that the effect of providing learners with scaffolds does not follow a “one-size-fits-all” principle, but may depend on specific learner characteristics, such as prior knowledge

Inquiring the effect of the experiment design tool:whose boat does it float?

Inquiry learning can be an effective learning method, provided that students receive the right amount and type of support. For this dissertation the Experiment Design Tool was developed to support students with one of the main activities of inquiry learning; designing and conducting useful experiments that allow them to draw conclusions to their research questions. The effects of distinct versions of the Experiment Design Tool on students’ learning gains about buoyancy and Archimedes’ principle was assessed in the studies reported in this dissertation. Special attention was paid to the influence of students’ prior knowledge about the topics, in order to study whether and how prior knowledge influences the effects of different amounts and types of support. Results from the studies in this dissertation indicated that support that is offered to students should match their level of prior knowledge. The results provide a basis for designing guidance that aligns with students’ prior knowledge

The influence of prior knowledge on experiment design guidance in a science inquiry context

Designing and conducting sound and informative experiments is an important aspect of inquiry learning. Students, however, often design experiments that do not allow them to reach conclusions. Considering the difficulties students experience with the process of designing experiments, additional guidance in the form of an Experiment Design Tool (EDT) was developed, together with reflection questions. In this study, 147 pre-university students worked in an online inquiry learning environment on buoyancy and Archimedes’ principle. Students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions, each of which contained a different version of the EDT. Since students’ prior knowledge has been found to influence the amount and type of guidance they need, the versions of the tool differed with respect to the level of guidance provided. A pre- and post-test were administered to assess students’ conceptual knowledge. No overall differences between conditions were found. In a subsequent analysis, students were classified as either low, low-intermediate-, high-intermediate, or high prior knowledge students. For Archimedes’ principle we found that low-intermediate prior knowledge students gained significantly more conceptual knowledge than low prior knowledge students in the fully guided condition. It is hypothesised that students need at least some prior knowledge in order to fully benefit from the guidance offered

Supporting planning and conducting experiments

In inquiry learning learners design and conduct experiments. Learners experience difficulties with the involved processes and need guidance to design useful experiments. To guide students in this we created a configurable experiment design tool that is usable in multiple domains. The tool was tested with two configurations; one with a CVS structure in which learners had to design at least three experimental trials before conducting their experiment, and one in which this wa s not required. In the current study secondary students designed and conducted experiments in an online lab about buoyancy and Archimedes' principle. Three conditions were compared in terms of students' conceptual knowledge gain. Students worked with one configuration of the tool, or with no tool. Results showed significant differences between conditions for lower prior knowledge students' learning gain about buoyanc

The influence of prior knowledge on the effectiveness of guided experiment design

Inquiry learning is an effective learning approach if learners are properly guided. Its effectiveness depends on learners’ prior knowledge, the domain, and their relationship. In a previous study we developed an Experiment Design Tool (EDT) guiding learners in designing experiments. The EDT significantly benefited low prior knowledge learners. For the current study the EDT was refined to also serve higher prior knowledge learners. Two versions were created; the “Constrained EDT” required learners to design minimally three experimental trials and apply CVS before they could conduct their experiment, and the “Open EDT” allowed learners to design as many trials as they wanted, and vary more than one variable. Three conditions were compared in terms of learning gains for learners having distinct levels of prior knowledge. Participants designed and conducted experiments within an online learning environment that (1) did not include an EDT, (2) included the Constrained EDT, or (3) included the Open EDT. Results indicated low prior knowledge learners to benefit most from the Constrained EDT (non-significant), low-intermediate prior knowledge learners from the Open EDT (significant), and high-intermediate prior knowledge learners from no EDT (non-significant). We advocate guidance to be configurable to serve learners with varying levels of prior knowledge

Providing guidance in virtual lab experimentation: the case of an experiment design tool

The present study employed a quasi-experimental design to assess a computer-based tool, which was intended to scaffold the task of designing experiments when using a virtual lab for the process of experimentation. In particular, we assessed the impact of this tool on primary school students’ cognitive processes and inquiry skills before and after the study’s treatment, using pre- and post-tests. Our research design involved a group of students who used the computer-based tool/scaffold to design the study’s experiments (experimental condition) and a group of students who used a paper-and-pencil worksheet as a scaffold to design the same experiments (control condition). The primary finding of the study was that the use of the computer-based experiment design tool had a more positive effect on students’ inquiry skills related to identifying variables and designing investigations than the paper-and-pencil one. This might be attributed to the functionalities provided only by the computer-based experiment design tool, which enabled students to focus their attention on crucial aspects of the task of designing experiments through (1) maintaining values for constant variables when planning experimental trials and (2) the provision of instant feedback when classifying variables into independent, dependent and controlled variables. Moreover, students in the two conditions displayed differing patterns of interactions among cognitive process and inquiry skills. Implications for designing and assessing similar computer-based scaffolds are discussed

Supporting planning and conducting experiments

In inquiry learning learners design and conduct experiments. Learners experience difficulties with the involved processes and need guidance to design useful experiments. To guide students in this we created a configurable experiment design tool that is usable in multiple domains. The tool was tested with two configurations; one with a CVS structure in which learners had to design at least three experimental trials before conducting their experiment, and one in which this wa s not required. In the current study secondary students designed and conducted experiments in an online lab about buoyancy and Archimedes' principle. Three conditions were compared in terms of students' conceptual knowledge gain. Students worked with one configuration of the tool, or with no tool. Results showed significant differences between conditions for lower prior knowledge students' learning gain about buoyanc

Phases of inquiry-based learning: definitions and the inquiry cycle

International audienceInquiry-based learning is gaining popularity in science curricula, international research anddevelopment projects as well as teaching. One of the underlying reasons is that its successcan be significantly improved due to the recent technical developments that allow the inquiryprocess to be supported by electronic learning environments. Inquiry-based learning is oftenorganized into inquiry phases that together form an inquiry cycle. However, different variationson what is called the inquiry cycle can be found throughout the literature. The currentarticle focuses on identifying and summarizing the core features of inquiry-based learningby means of a systematic literature review and develops a synthesized inquiry cyclethat combines the strengths of existing inquiry-based learning frameworks. The review wasconducted using the EBSCO host Library; a total of 32 articles describing inquiry phasesor whole inquiry cycles were selected based on specific search criteria. An analysis of thearticles resulted in the identification of five distinct general inquiry phases: Orientation,Conceptualization, Investigation, Conclusion, and Discussion. Some of these phases are dividedinto sub-phases. In particular, the Conceptualization phase is divided into two (alternative)sub-phases, Questioning and Hypothesis Generation; the Investigation phase is dividedinto three sub-phases, Exploration or Experimentation leading to Data Interpretation; andthe Discussion phase is divided into two sub-phases, Reflection and Communication. Noframework bringing together all of these phases and sub-phases was found in the literature.Thus, a synthesized framework was developed to describe an inquiry cycle in whichall of these phases and sub-phases would be present. In this framework, inquiry-based learningbegins with Orientation and flows through Conceptualization to Investigation, whereseveral cycles are possible. Inquiry-based learning usually ends with the Conclusion phase.The Discussion phase (which includes Communication and Reflection) is potentially presentat every point during inquiry-based learning and connects to all the other phases, becauseit can occur at any time during (discussion in-action) or after inquiry-based learning whenlooking back (discussion on-action)