1982/01/01 by Avi Hofstein, Vincent N. Lunetta · 165 citations
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Educational research #Engineering #Engineering ethics #Experimental and Theoretical Physics Studies #Innovative Teaching Methods #Mathematics education #Pedagogy #Psychology #Science Education and Pedagogy #Science education #Teaching method #Work (physics)
paper · doi:10.2307/1170311
published in Review of Educational Research 52(2), 201 (SAGE Publishing)
openalex publication_date 1982/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The laboratory has been given a central and distinctive role in science education, and science educators have suggested that there are rich benefits in learning from using laboratory activities. At this time, however, some educators have begun to question seriously the effectiveness and the role of laboratory work, and the case for laboratory teaching is not as self-evident as it once seemed. This paper provides perspectives on these issues through a review of the history, goals, and research findings regarding the laboratory as a medium of instruction in introductory science teaching. The analysis of research culminates with suggestions for researchers who are working to clarify the role of the laboratory in science education.