Document Type

Dissertation - University Access Only

Award Date

2012

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department / School

Chemistry and Biochemistry

First Advisor

David P. Cartrette

Abstract

According to the National Science Education Standards, inquiry-based activities are promoted as a means by which students pose questions about the natural world and investigate phenomena. The process of inquiry is based on student curiosity; in turn, this curiosity leads to authentic experimentation and fosters great question-asking ability. Participation in inquirybased laboratory activities reportedly leads students to acquire knowledge and develop a richer understanding of concepts. Inquiry-based laboratory activities, unlike traditional laboratory activities, require the student to take responsibility for their own learning by analyzing and organizing their discoveries and communicating their findings. The main goals of this project are (1) to determine if inquiry based science laboratories promote higher and lower order cognitive skills; and (2) what grade level is inquiry based instruction most effective and should be implemented. This is a comparative study exploring middle school, high school, and freshmen in college for age appropriateness. Inquiry methods promoted higher order thinking skills at all three educational levels. Middle school students saw the greatest promotion followed by high school then college students. The cognitive abilities of the students may be responsible for this trend. By providing experience for middle school students in the sciences which require higher order thinking skills, students were able to develop and maintain formal operational thinking in the sciences. Students at the high school level were further along in the process of acquiring formal operational thinking, thus showed less of a change; likewise, the majority of college students should be at the formal operational stage, therefore showing the least amount of change. Inquiry methods did not promote lower order thinking skills at all three educational levels. This is most likely due to the content of the experiment and not the teaching method. This study suggests that inquiry should be implemented with guidance and focus on student attitudes at the middle school level. By focusing on the creation of positive attitudes at the middle school level students are more open to participating and becoming engaged with inquiry methods. As students reach high school, the openness of inquiry should be increased in the area of procedural development but still provide adequate assistance in the areas of analysis. This recommendation builds on the middle school mindset that laboratory is an opportunity to have fun with science to a mindset that laboratory is about fun and understanding. By creating opportunities for open inquiry at the college level, students can gain confidence in the methods of scientific research all while having fun and gaining understanding.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Chemistry -- Study and teaching (Middle School)
Chemistry -- Study and teaching (Secondary)
Chemistry -- Study and teaching (Higher)

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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Rights Statement

In Copyright