Examining student growth in laboratory notebook practices in introductory physics courses

Abstract

Laboratory notebooks serve as the primary records for research experiments, demonstrate how researchers went about their work, and tabulate the data collected in the experiment. Recent undergraduate laboratory recommendations emphasize the importance of helping students develop their scientific documentations skills throughout the curriculum. Learning proper lab notebook practices is important for students in preparation for graduate school and the STEM workforce. Laboratory notebooks can also be a valuable tool for instructors to assess a student’s understanding of lab activities and the underlying physics principles. This study analyzes shifts in student understanding of standard notebook practices during the first introductory physics lab course. This research was conducted through a series of pre-and post-surveys given in the introductory physics labs. The surveys cover how students report using lab notebooks, how they learned notebook practices, and their attitudes toward and beliefs about using lab notebooks. This paper examines student growth in specific, self-reported laboratory notebook practices and reviews the instructional methods and feedback that were most effective for first semester physics students.