Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education (한국과학교육학회지)

The Korean Association for Science Education (한국과학교육학회)
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A Meta-Analysis of Research on the Impact of Microcomputer-Based Laboratory in Science Teaching and Learning

  • Published : 2003.08.30
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Abstract

In an effort to provide information about the effect of Microcomputer-Based Laboratory (MBL) use in science teaching and learning on student achievement and attitudes, a review of research analyzed studies was done between 1981 and 2001, using a meta-analysis procedure. Thirty-seven published and unpublished studies were reviewed. Use of MBL was shown to be potentially effective in the following condition of class; two students, physics teaching, more than one topic, or at the college level. Appropriate research design strategies, financial support (including hardware and software), and the use of more than one instrument for assessing the effect of the MBL instruction are crucial factors for more informative research studies. While helpful in many respects, the prior research revealed a number of problems related to the use of MBL in school science teaching and learning. The prior research does not support the desired intention described in the theory-based outcomes and reveals so little about how teachers and students use MBL, how it influences their teaching and learning, and how effectively it fits into the existing science curriculum. In order to know if the integration of MBL in the existing school science is worth it or not, more careful research design and comprehensive research should be done.

Keywords

References

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