Examining student engagement in science practices in introductory physics laboratory courses

Our work explores student engagement in science practices across introductory chemistry, biology, and physics laboratory courses, with an emphasis on the well-defined practices in the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Specifically, we use the Three-Dimensional Learning Assessment Protocol (3D-LAP) to look for evidence of science practices in laboratory materials across the three disciplines. In this presentation, we will share our characterization of science practices in introductory physics labs based on our examination of laboratory manuals and video observation data, and discuss how science practices are situated in the physics laboratory curricula and expressed in the physics laboratory classroom.

Our data analysis indicates that Developing and Using Models, Analyzing and Interpreting Data, and Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking are among the most highly represented practices in the physics curricula. We discuss the implications of our findings for the design and development of physics curricula, as well as the teaching and learning of physics.