We investigated physics students' behavior in a second-year laboratory by analyzing transcribed audio recordings of laboratory sessions. One student group was given both a problem and procedure and asked to analyze and explain their results. Another was provided with only the problem and asked to design and execute the experiment, interpret the…

To investigate how early elementary science and technology (S&T) education, with hands-on experimentation and inquiry-based learning, impacts pre-service teachers' attitudes and confidence to teach S&T education, we used a cross-sectional survey. Our participants were 27 pre-service teachers enrolled in an Ontario elementary S&T…

Triadic dialogue, the Initiation, Response, Evaluation sequence typical of teacher /student interactions in classrooms, has long been identified as a barrier to students' access to learning, including science learning. A large body of research on the subject has over the years led to projects and policies aimed at increasing opportunities for…

Science instruction literature provides us with goals for laboratory instruction and guidelines for designing and implementing science labs in the post-secondary setting. How well are we doing in our attempt to provide a meaningful and positive learning experience for our students? This paper describes the results of a study to determine whether…

In delivering chemistry courses by distance, a key challenge is to offer the learner an authentic and meaningful laboratory experience that still provides the rigour required to continue on in science. To satisfy this need, two distance general chemistry laboratory courses appropriate for Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) students, including chemistry…

Advances in computer and interface technologies have made it possible to create three-dimensional (3D) computerized models of anatomical structures for visualization, manipulation, and interaction in a virtual 3D environment. In the past few decades, a multitude of digital models have been developed to facilitate complex spatial learning of the…

The law of conservation of momentum is one that students often have difficulties understanding. This experiment allows students to use childhood toys to examine and calculate the muzzle velocity of their favourite water gun by using an air track, a spark timer or data logger and the law of conservation of momentum in a one-dimensional case, a…

The purpose of this study was to survey the quantity and quality of laboratory work conducted by Grade 11 and 12 biology students in British Columbia High Schools, to analyze student performance on laboratory based questions on Provincial examinations, and to examine the curriculum for recommended laboratory work. Examination and curriculum data…

In Ontario, the secondary school science curriculum advocates the use of laboratory activities to reinforce specific scientific concepts and promotes the development of skills in scientific investigation and communication. Students in biology courses are often expected to identify unknown substances using standard tests, but rarely are these tests…