This article describes a program that was developed to introduce senior high school students in Melbourne, Australia to the technique of X-ray crystallography within the context of chemistry research. Students had an opportunity for original experimentation, performing reactions and attempting to grow crystals of reaction products in a school…

The Advancing Science and Engineering through Laboratory Learning (ASELL) for Schools program has been instrumental in getting schools across Australia to reconsider the effectiveness of the laboratory learning activity (LLA) in science education. In Victoria, the ASELL for Schools project has collaborated with another nationally funded program,…

The transition from high school to tertiary education can be a daunting prospect for students. The prospect of laboratories, an unfamiliar environment, for students, can increase levels of anxiety. Moreover, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests that students' self-efficacy is inversely correlated with students' anxiety. We surveyed…

The aims of teaching laboratories is an important and ever-evolving topic of discussion amongst teaching staff at teaching institutions. It is often assumed that both teaching staff and students are implicitly aware of these aims, although this is rarely tested or measured. This assumption can lead to mismatched beliefs between students and…

Understanding and trouble-shooting microscopic processes involved in laboratory tests are often challenging for students in science education because of the inability to visualize the different steps and the various errors that may influence test outcome. The effectiveness of gamification or the use of game design elements and game-mechanics were…

The PhD student experience is an increasingly important area of education research in Australia and internationally. Although many factors supporting the PhD experience have been identified, there has been a tendency towards examining the issue through a cohort-wide lens, in which the nuances of experience of smaller groups and individuals may be…

Titrations are common laboratory exercises in high school and university chemistry courses, because they are easy, relatively inexpensive, and they illustrate a number of fundamental chemical principles. While students have little difficulty with calculations involving a single titration step, there is a significant leap in conceptual difficulty…

A number of reports have argued that secondary science education needs to be more inquiry oriented and involve authentic and practical investigations to develop scientific literacy and better engage students in learning science. Inquiry-oriented approaches, such as those advocated in the new science national curriculum, require that teachers have…

Presents results of a questionnaire sent to Australian school teachers concerning laboratory space allotments and class size. Summarizes data and compares results with the United States National Science Teachers Association recommendations on class size and space requirements. (CS)

Discusses trends, in New South Wales, in designing high school science facilities. Also discussed is the "open-space science complex" which would offer the maximum flexibility required for future courses. (BR)

Describes the building design and interior laboratory features of the science center at Australia's Sturt C. A. E., an institution of higher learning. Photographs are included. (MLH)

Describes the development of the Science Laboratory Environment Inventory (SLEI) instrument for assessing perceptions of the psychosocial environment in science laboratory classrooms, and reports validation information for samples of senior high school students from six different countries. The SLEI assesses five dimensions of the actual and…

The role of the Australian Science Facilities Standards Committee in assessing needs in individual private schools and making recommendations to the Education Department for funding is discussed. The committee's standards for the design of science rooms are also included. (BR)