Development of Smartphone-Based Inquiry Laboratory Lessons in Chemistry Learning of Solution and Concentration: An Evidence-Based Practice

Abstract

With rapid growth of mobile technology, smartphone plays important role in education. The advancement of mobile technology and its application has been changed the way of science teaching and learning and it can served as effective instructional tool for science education. Several previous researches reported that using smartphone could better increase students learning interest and motivation to learn science than ordinary class. The purposes of this study were to design and develop smartphone-based chemistry laboratory learning of solution and concentration by emphasizing scientific inquiry process. In this paper, the researchers present the results of a pilot study on an investigation of high school students perceptions toward smartphone-based inquiry laboratory and their learning engagement. 95 eleventh graders, aging 16-17 years old, in northeastern region of Thailand were recruited to participate in this pilot study, and they were divided into three groups for receiving different setting of learning environment. The results showed that the students had positive perception and they were highly engaged to learn with the laboratory intervention. In addition, the researchers found that the disparity of gender has a significant effect on their perception, but no significant effect for their learning engagement regarding the laboratory intervention. Then, these findings, particularly the effect of gender disparity, have been used to design a series of smartphone-based laboratory activities in chemistry concepts of solution and concentration. An implication of this paper is to provide pedagogical guidance for developing smartphone-based inquiry laboratory learning in chemistry with regarding the effect of gender difference for science learning.