The Link of Theory and Practice in Traditional and in Computer-based University Laboratory Experiments

This work deals with learning in the beginners’ physics laboratory at the university level in Germany. It examines whether the students acquire knowledge of physics and of scientific experimentation by performing a laboratory experiment, and if a relationship exists between the students’ knowledge acquisition and their actions during laboratory work. Thus, the learning expectations are compared with the actual results of beginners’ physics laboratories. Furthermore, it is examined to what extent the use of the computer for data capture and model building can affect students’ action regulation and learning outcomes. Constructivist theories of learning constitute the theoretical basis for the investigation. They are used in combination with concepts of action theory, with aspects of physics education taken into account. Video recordings of laboratory work are analysed by a category-based analysis, which was specifically developed for this research. Concept maps are used for investigating students’ knowledge and are analysed on the basis of a reference map. The results show that the traditional beginners’ physics laboratory at the university level is not a learning environment particularly well suited for applying and acquiring knowledge of physics actively, and that in this case the use of the computer hardly effects either the students’ action regulation or knowledge acquisition. Based on the results of this research, ways to improve the effectiveness of physics laboratory work are discussed.