An Experimental Comparison of Two Science Laboratory Environments: Traditional and Microcomputer-Based

This article examines the cognitive consequences for science students of two modes of laboratory data collection: traditional manual data point recording; and an automated data collection system of microcomputer-based laboratory (MBL). This experiment was conducted during a semester-length course given to four eighth-grade science classes in which all students carried out daily experiments in topics of heat and temperature. During the course, all students collected temperature data using both modalities, thermometer and MBL, in similar experiments. At a time in the course when all students had equivalent amounts of experience with both modalities, we split each class during a single boiling-point experiment to compare classroom processes, learning outcomes and students' perspectives for each of the modalities. Results indicate: students had larger set-up times and more off-task behavior in the traditional mode; the graphs produced by the computer for the MBL group were better, on most measures, than the graphs students produced manually; students in both groups drew equally valid conclusions from their data; and MBL was generally preferred by students as a laboratory tool. Based on these results a discussion of the advantages and nonadvantages of MBL is provided, along with provisions in each modality which advance the goals of science laboratory learning effectively.