Educational research laboratory work

A large amoimt of research has examined the effectiveness of laboratory work in science education in attaining cognitive, affective and practical goals (Hofstein Mamlok-Naaman, 2007). Critical accounts and reviews are available in the literature (Blosser, 1980 Bryce Robertson, 1985 Hodson, 1993 Hofstein Lunetta, 1982 2004 Lazarowitz Tamir, 1994 Tobin, 1990). A sad finding is that research has failed to show simplistic relationships between experiences in the laboratory and student learning (Hofstein Mamlok-Naaman, 2007). 

For the Paris and the London-Manchester schools, the local culture, educational tradition, laboratory research programs, theoretical systems, and personal networks that helped forge a school identity and a disciplinary identity are worked out in some detail. In addition to constructing an account of a new branch of theoretical chemistry, focused on organic reaction mechanisms, these chapters suggest important differences in national traditions within the disciplinary field of physical organic chemistry. 

However, there were some notable lacunae that need to be addressed. Little work has been done in chemical education research on the physical chemistry laboratory, although what has been done is both valuable and excellent. In addition, little attention has been paid to the issue of the structure of the physical chemistry laboratory as a whole (or at least little has been published). More needs to be done in this area. Very few of the experiments included a clear pedagogical objective, and those that did, failed to do any assessment of those objectives. It is hoped that a continuously increasing percentage of new experiments will include these elements. 

This work was supported by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, the Brain Korea 21 program of the Ministry of Education, and by the National Research Laboratory Program (2000-N-NL-01-C-237) of the Korean Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). 

The research-based approach to laboratory education achieves many educators goals for the undergraduate laboratory curriculum (Nagda et al. 1998 Wenzel 2003 Lopatto 2004 Seymour et al. 2004), such as increasing student motivation (Module author 4) and developing an interest in the topic (Student 4). CASPiE modules place the students laboratory work in the context of ongoing scientific research and, in turn, increase student motivation for the laboratory work. Students acquire hands-on laboratory skills as they carry out their experiments. 

We thank J. Zeigler and G. Fearon for their part in organizing the workshop on which this volume is based. J. V. O. acknowledges partial support of this work, which was performed during the summer of 1987 under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education Summer Faculty Program at the Naval Research Laboratory. 

Comment. Because literature service is required in two plants some distance apart, this administrator had little time for on-the-job training of new employees. He has, however, formulated ideas of what he is looking for and translated his ideas into specific educational qualifications. These he has learned are minimum essentials. As there is little uniformity of concept in relation to education of literature chemists, these ideas constitute a real contribution. A chemist himself, in no way did he decry the importance of laboratory work, but he did emphasize the fact that literature work requires a different type of person -- one who approaches it with the conviction of its importance as a distinct occupation. He has also been willing to admit his unsuccessful attempt in selling a career to those who offered skepticism and resistance. On the other hand, there have been instances where a person wholly unfamiliar with literature work may like it, once he realizes he is a creative member of the research function. In fact, the situation next described shows results wherein the selling technique paid dividends. 

In addition to the practical problems the students solve or attempt to solve, many extensions of the problems are brought back to the classroom and to the institute research laboratories for subsequent discussion. A large number of faculty members have become acquainted with industrial practices, and this has had a marked effect on the quality of teaching and on the students enthusiasm for their courses. Industrial staffs have reported a positive contribution to their work by the students and faculty. Employers visiting campuses find that students who have completed the practice school program are much better prepared than students who have not. Other educational institutions are now beginning similar programs, and it is hoped that the overall procedure will have a measurably beneficial effect on the industrial capability of India. 

A pamphlet has been produced by the Junior Engineers/ Technicians/Sdentists (JETS) based in the school of Engineering, University of Zambia. It is intended to help schools produce equipments such as wooden racks and stands for pipettes, burettes and test-tubes, and metal clamps, clamp holders and retort stands. In India similar work has been undertaken by the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Details for a mobile laboratory unit has been published in India. 

In India similar work has been undertaken by the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Details for a mobile laboratory unit has been published in India. 

Whilst models and modelling bring history and philosophy of chemistry together, the construction and testing of these takes place in the laboratory. This provides the justification for Chapter 4, which focuses on laboratory work in general in chemical education. Research into the historical evolution of laboratory work at both secondary and tertiary level is reviewed. It is concluded that, because the purposes for laboratory work have historically been ill-defined, research into its effectiveness has inevitably been inconclusive. Two alternatives from this conclusion are discussed that laboratory work in chemical education should be abandoned as an historical anachronism that it should be reformed. Following the more positive line. 

More than any other researcher in a department of chemistry, the scholarly work of the chemical education researcher will be influenced by both the research and educational missions of the department and of the institution. The research mission of the department will have an impact on the expectations that will exist for scholarly work in the area of chemical education. It is not fair to oversimplify the situation by saying that institutions with less research emphasis will expect less research from a chemical education researcher and those with a heavy research emphasis will expect more. Indeed, many departments with a heavy research emphasis do not consider their chemical education researchers to be researchers in chemistry, and in some cases do not expect them to be. For example, there are institutions who hire a specialist in chemical education to direct a large undergraduate education program, sometimes consisting of many hundreds of students who will be enrolled in first and second year chemistry courses with laboratory components. Likewise, smaller institutions, where there is less traditional chemistry research, may be interested in emphasizing research... 

Reid, N. Shah, 1. 2007. The role of laboratory work in university chemistry. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 8(2) 172-185. 

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