STEM Education on Equal Terms Through the Flipped Laboratory Approach

Abstract

The educational phenomena studied in this paper is remote-controlled physical laboratory environments and their applicability in upper secondary school physics education. In order to gain a better understanding of the situation and needs regarding laboratory activities in the upper secondary school, eight physics teachers were interviewed at six different schools. This revealed that the resources for laboratory activities vary between schools and may be inconsistent with the Swedish National Agency for Education curriculum. Furthermore, 165 upper secondary school students answered a questionnaire survey regarding subject preferences, program choices, views on technology and self-ability, and approach to technology and technology-related situations. The acquired knowledge provides a basis concerning the needs and conditions of teaching and learning within the subject of physics. This new knowledge motivates the development of the Flipped laboratory concept that is introduced in this paper, based on remote-controlled physical laboratories, for upper secondary school.