Developing Experimental Design

Skills: Julia Child or Mission

Impossible?Alastair McLean1, Bei Cai1, Lindsay Mainhood2 and Ryan Groome1

1 Department of Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy, 2 Faculty of Education.

PHYS 250/3.0 Foundations of Experimental Physics Laboratory and lecture course that presents techniques and skills that are the foundations of

experimental physics. Topics include statistical analysis of data, uncertainties in measurement,

propagation of errors, software for data analysis, graphing and reporting….

LEARNING HOURS 132 (24 Lectures; 36 Labs; 72 Practice)

10 Structured-inquiry experiments

3 Guided-inquiry and 8 structured-inquiry experiments

redesign and assess

Levels of Inquiry Banchi and Bell, Science and Children, 2008.

Open Student formulated question and student designed procedure.

Guided Instructor formulated question and student designed procedure.

Structured Instructor formulated question and instructor designed procedure.

Freedom

American Association of Physics Teachers

Guided Inquiry

finish

start

vary

L

vary theta

finish

start

1

Degree of Freedom = 2

Degree of Freedom = 1

1

2

Structured Inquiry

CD Diffraction

Guided-inquiry outline

Structured-inquiry outline

Prescribed procedures are

given

Students had to predict, design and

make sense of the lab

Qualitative Analysis

Research Questions

Audio recording

of students:

• 8 guided-

inquiry labs

• 5 structured-

inquiry labs

1. How does student learning differ between the guided-inquiry labs and structured-inquiry labs?

2. What differences can we observe in student behaviour between the two labs?

3. What elements of lab design best reinforce achievement of desired learning outcomes?

Thematic analysis, Strauss and Corbin, 2015

Inductive approach, Thomas, 2006

Theme Category Theme Category

Experimental

process and

components

Process Carrying out

scientific

method

Visual observation

Project management

Problem solving

Measurement and calculation

Hypothesizing

Constructing apparatus

Comprehension

experiences

Sense making

Question asking

Learning

Sense making Sense making/Sense making strategies

Of task, peer’s idea or suggestion, observations,

instructions, calculations or measurements

Learning/Confirmation/Application

Question asking/Physics concepts

Self and

interpersonal

experiences

Attitude

Interpersonal

interactions

Interpersonal

learning

Physics language

Peer interaction

Needing help

Student interaction with instructor

Instructor interaction with students

Laboratory

design

experiences

Design

Critical thinking

Measurement and

analysis

The affective

experience

Reactions

Marvelling

Emotions

Guided-inquiry lab Structured-inquiry lab

Guided-inquiry lab

Structured-inquiry lab

Themes from

qualitative coding of

audio transcripts

Codes unique in

guided-inquiry lab

Codes unique in

structured-inquiry lab

Summary• We’ve redesigned PHYS 250 to include more guided-

inquiry labs.

• Student behaviors and learning experiences in guided-inquiry labs are more frequently design-like in nature; experimental design is an intended learning outcome.

• These results and their implications are still under investigation; e.g., the importance of degrees of freedom.

Acknowledgement

This work is funded by the TRESTLE network, and the

Department of Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy,

the Center for Teaching and Learning Educational Research

Grant, and the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science

at Queen's University.