The purpose of this study was to construct an instructional systems design model for chemistry teaching laboratories at the undergraduate level to accurately depict the current practices of design experts. This required identifying the variables considered during design, prioritizing and ordering these variables, and constructing a model. Experts…

In the U.S., future economic viability is being challenged by an increasing inability to replace retiring engineers and scientists through the year 2020 due to declines in learner motivation and proficiency in science. The expository laboratory appears to be linked with non-engagement and is one possible contributing factor to this problem…

The purpose of this study is to develop a new approach and assess the application for the science and technology student-teachers to gain varied laboratory methods in science and technology teaching. It is also aimed to describe the computer-assisted POE application in the subject of "Photosynthesis-Light" developed in the context of…

This study aimed to investigate the effect of experimenting with physical manipulatives (PM), virtual manipulatives (VM), and a blended combination of PM and VM on undergraduate students' understanding of concepts in the domain of "Light and Color." A pre-post comparison study design was used for the purposes of this study that involved 70…

A pair of objects on an inclined plane are connected together by a string. The upper object is then connected to a fixed post via a spring. The situation is first analysed as a classroom exercise in using free-body diagrams to solve Newton's second law for a system of objects upon which many different kinds of force are acting (string tension,…

In microcomputer based laboratories (MBL) and data loggers, one or more sensors are connected to an interphase and this to a computer. This equipment allows visualization in real time of the variables of an experiment and provides the possibility of measuring magnitudes which are difficult to measure with traditional equipment. Research shows that…

Experimentation is important for learning and research in the field of power electronics and drives. However, a great deal of equipment is required to study the various topologies, controllers, and functionalities. Thus, the cost of establishing good laboratories and research centers is high. To address this problem, the authors have developed a…

This study examined the connections elementary preservice science teachers made among various aspects of nature of science (NOS). Totally, 45 preservice science teachers who were enrolled in the Laboratory Application in Science II course participated in the study. The course provided meaningful and practical inquiry-based experiences, as well as…

Thirty-six pre-university chemistry students and two chemistry teachers used flow chemistry as a technology for the synthesis of methyl orange. FutureChemistry and VU University Amsterdam cooperatively created FlowStart Remote, a device that enabled the students to remotely conduct this synthesis and in real time monitor and control the device via…

The purposes of the study were to analyse the promotion of scientific literacy through practical research activities and to identify children's conceptions about scientists and how they do science. Elementary school children were engaged in two scientific experiments in a marine biology research laboratory. A total of 136 students answered a…

Using Faraday's law, one can illustrate how an electromotive force generator, directly utilizing seawater motion, works. The conceptual device proposed is rather simple in its components and can be built in any high school or college laboratory. The description of the way in which the device generates an electromotive force can be instructive not…

Citrus fruit (oranges, tangerines, grapefruit or lemons) purchased in a grocery store can be experimentally infected with readily-available sources of "Penicillium digitatum" to demonstrate the four basic steps of Koch's postulates, also known as proof of pathogenicity. The mould is isolated from naturally-infected citrus fruit into pure culture…

A wash bottle water displacement scheme is used to determine the kinetics of the iodide-catalyzed H[subscript 2]O[subscript 2] decomposition reaction. The reagents (total volume 5.00 mL) are added to a test tube that is placed in a wash bottle containing water. The mass of the water displaced in [approximately]60 s is measured. The reaction is…

Vast quantities, on the order of megatons, of pollutants are emitted monthly to the atmosphere both by natural and anthropogenic sources. The evaluation of rainwater composition has great importance in understanding the atmospheric chemical composition, as water drops scavenge particles and soluble atmospheric pollutants. Most students are aware…

The Crime Scene Labs is a technology-enhanced unit with seven laboratory stations. Probes at many of the stations facilitate students collecting and analyzing their own data (some lessons are adapted from Volz and Sapatka 2000). The labs are designed to build 21st-century skills and model reform-based practices (NRC 1996). The crime scene allows…