LabWrite

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LabWrite

• Helping Science Students Write Better Laboratory
  Reports
• Michael Carter
• Eric Wiebe
• Miriam Ferzli

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Lab Reports Writing to Learn Science

• An opportunity to reflect on what they have done
  in the lab
• A framework for shaping students understanding
  of the lab

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Obstacles to Taking Full Advantage of Lab Reports

• Fill-in-the-blank reports
• Instruction that provides little guidance in
  writing lab reports
• Focus of lab instructors not on writing
• Evaluation that emphasizes right answers
• Lab report removed from rest of lab experience,
  simply the write-up

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LabWrite http//labwrite.ncsu.edu
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LabWrite PreLab

• What scientific concept(s) is this lab about?
• What are the objectives for this lab?
• What is the overall purpose of the lab?
• What is your hypothesis for the lab experiment?
• What reasoning did you use to arrive at your
  hypothesis?

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LabWrite InLab

• Setting up the lab
• Getting ready to collect data
• Preparing a table or spreadsheet for recording
  your data
• Conducting the experiment
• Visualizing the data
• Summarizing your data

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LabWrite PostLab
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LabCheck Checklist
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LabCheck Evaluation Guide
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Different Approaches to Lab Reports

• Standard (hypothetical) lab
• Descriptive lab
• Student-designed experiment
• Partial lab report

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Hypotheses

• That students using LabWrite will
• 1 learn the science of the lab more
  effectively
• 2. learn to apply scientific reasoning more
  effectively
• 3. develop a more positive attitude toward
  lab reports
• than students using the typical lab report
  instruction

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Research Design

• Quasi-experimental, posttest only, control-group
  design
• Control group BIO 183, Fall 2000
• Treatment group BIO 183, Spring 2001
• N approx. 80 students from 4 lab sections each
  semester
• Same 2 lab instructors, professor, course
  syllabus, labs, and lab reports

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Method Hypothesis 1Learning the Science of the
Lab

• Data Random sample of reports from labs 1 and 3
  (n44)
• Test holistic scoring, scale 1-5
• Raters 3 teachers who had taught intro. biology
  and were familiar with labs
• Analysis 2-way ANOVA

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Method Hypothesis 2 Applying Scientific
Reasoning

• Data Random sample of reports from lab 3
  (n40/group)
• Test Primary-Trait scoring
• Raters 2 science teachers familiar with lab
• Analysis 2-way ANOVA, standard inter-rater
  reliability, polychoric correlation

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Primary Traits of Scientific Reasoning

• Statement of hypotheses
• Explanation of hypothesis in terms of science of
  lab
• Specificity of materials
• Organization of methods

• Summary of results
• Integration of visual and verbal findings
• Return to hypothesis
• Link hypothesis to findings
• Link hypothesis to science of lab

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Method Hypothesis 3Attitude Toward Lab Reports

• Data Survey designed by researchers (22
  Likert-type items)
• Subjects Students in lecture sections
  (n60/group)
• Analysis One-way ANOVA, Cronbachs alpha

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Results
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Obstacles to Taking Full Advantage of Lab Reports

• Fill-in-the-blank reports
• Instruction that provides little guidance in
  writing lab reports
• Focus of lab instructors not on writing
• Evaluation that emphasizes right answers
• Lab report removed from rest of lab experience,
  simply the write-up

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Writing to Learn Science LabWrite provides

• A viable alternative to fill-in-the-blank reports
• Instruction that offers extensive, just-in-time
  guidance in writing lab reports
• A student resource that lab instructors can use
  without having to become writing teachers
• A way of evaluating lab reports that promotes
  scientific thinking
• Instruction that situates lab reports within the
  context of the full lab experience

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LabWrite http//labwrite.ncsu.edu

• LabWrite is funded by grants from the National
  Science Foundation 9950405 and 0231086