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Physical Review Physics Education Research
written by Bethany R. Wilcox and Heather J. Lewandowski
Improving students' understanding of the nature of experimental physics is often an explicit or implicit goal of undergraduate laboratory physics courses. However, lab activities in traditional lab courses are typically characterized by highly structured, guided labs that often do not require or encourage students to engage authentically in the process of experimental physics. Alternatively, open-ended laboratory activities can provide a more authentic learning environment by, for example, allowing students to exercise greater autonomy in what and how physical phenomena are investigated. Engaging in authentic practices may be a critical part of improving students' beliefs around the nature of experimental physics. Here, we investigate the impact of open-ended activities in undergraduate lab courses on students' epistemologies and expectations about the nature of experimental physics, as well as their confidence and affect, as measured by the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Physics (E-CLASS). Using a national data set of student responses to the E-CLASS, we find that the inclusion of some open-ended lab activities in a lab course correlates with more expertlike postinstruction responses relative to courses that include only traditional guided lab activities. This finding holds when examining postinstruction E-CLASS scores while controlling for the variance associated with preinstruction scores, course level, student major, and student gender.
Physical Review Physics Education Research: Volume 12, Issue 2, Pages 020132
Subjects Levels Resource Types
Education Foundations
- Student Characteristics
= Affect
Education Practices
- Active Learning
= Inquiry Learning
- Curriculum Development
= Course Goals
= Laboratory
- Lower Undergraduate
- Reference Material
= Article
= Research study
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Free access
License:
This material is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.
Rights Holder:
American Physical Society
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.12.020132
Keyword:
authentic practice
Record Creator:
Metadata instance created November 7, 2016 by Lyle Barbato
Record Updated:
May 15, 2019 by Bruce Mason
Last Update
when Cataloged:
October 3, 2016
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AIP Format
B. Wilcox and H. Lewandowski, , Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 12 (2), 020132 (2016), WWW Document, (https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.12.020132).
AJP/PRST-PER
B. Wilcox and H. Lewandowski, Open-ended versus guided laboratory activities: Impact on students’ beliefs about experimental physics, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 12 (2), 020132 (2016), <https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.12.020132>.
APA Format
Wilcox, B., & Lewandowski, H. (2016, October 3). Open-ended versus guided laboratory activities: Impact on students’ beliefs about experimental physics. Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res., 12(2), 020132. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.12.020132
Chicago Format
Wilcox, Bethany, and Heather J. Lewandowski. "Open-ended versus guided laboratory activities: Impact on students’ beliefs about experimental physics." Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 12, no. 2, (October 3, 2016): 020132, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.12.020132 (accessed 28 March 2024).
MLA Format
Wilcox, Bethany, and Heather J. Lewandowski. "Open-ended versus guided laboratory activities: Impact on students’ beliefs about experimental physics." Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 12.2 (2016): 020132. 28 Mar. 2024 <https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.12.020132>.
BibTeX Export Format
@article{ Author = "Bethany Wilcox and Heather J. Lewandowski", Title = {Open-ended versus guided laboratory activities: Impact on students’ beliefs about experimental physics}, Journal = {Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res.}, Volume = {12}, Number = {2}, Pages = {020132}, Month = {October}, Year = {2016} }
Refer Export Format

%A Bethany Wilcox %A Heather J. Lewandowski %T Open-ended versus guided laboratory activities: Impact on students' beliefs about experimental physics %J Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. %V 12 %N 2 %D October 3, 2016 %P 020132 %U https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.12.020132 %O application/pdf

EndNote Export Format

%0 Journal Article %A Wilcox, Bethany %A Lewandowski, Heather J. %D October 3, 2016 %T Open-ended versus guided laboratory activities: Impact on students' beliefs about experimental physics %J Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. %V 12 %N 2 %P 020132 %8 October 3, 2016 %U https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.12.020132


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