Which student problems in experimentation are related to one another?

Abstract

Student problems (preconceptions, errors, and learner-specific approaches) that arise when planning and conducting experiments are relevant for lesson planning and the further development of teaching practice overall. student problems are understood as a learning opportunity. So far, little attention has been paid to the relationships between different student problems when planning and conducting an experiment. A search of relevant literature revealed no work addressing this issue. So, this study investigates whether any relationships exist between various student problems. 53 students (age: 10–16) were filmed while planning and conducting experiments themselves (students worked individually, not in groups). The films were translated into observation protocols and analysed according to Mayring’s qualitative content analysis technique. Students were given two tasks to solve using experiments: one on yeast and another on cone scales. The student problems identified were analysed using hierarchical cluster analysis to search for relationships. In the analyses of both tasks, only one, near-identical cluster was found. The cluster includes the student problem variables: ‘hypothesis consists of a combination of variables’, ‘hypothesis is changed during the experiment without being checked’, ‘missing test trial’, ‘missing control trial’, and ‘experimental trials are altered’. No other student problems showed any relationship to each other.