Developing Smartphone-based Hands-on Inquiry Laboratory: Results on Students’ Affective Channels of Chemistry Learning

Abstract

Currently, mobile devices such as smartphones plays an important role in the field of science education. The advancement of mobile technology has changed the way of learning in and about science using mobile application on smartphones. This paper illustrates a development of hands-on inquiry laboratory lessons in chemistry with the support of smartphone, and presents also the results on middle school students’ perceptions and attitudes in chemistry learning with smartphone-based laboratory. 43 middle school students in a public secondary school located northeastern region of Thailand voluntarily participate in this study, and they were assigned to interact with a series of smartphone-based hands-on inquiry laboratory in chemistry of solution lesson for two weeks. After the participation, they were administered 21-items and 20-items perception and engagement questionnaire, respectively. The preliminary results showed that they expressed positive perceptions towards the learning experience of smartphone-based laboratory, and impressed with the laboratory lessons. In addition, they expressed positive attitudes to the technology-enhanced chemistry learning with smartphone-based laboratory. This revealed that it is a challenge to use smartphone-based hands-on inquiry laboratory learning in chemistry as a pedagogy for new generation learners who have digital skills to perform science learning in 21st century education era. The main implication of this study is the rethinking of pedagogy used for modern and up-to-date teaching of solution for promoting favorable motivation to learn chemistry.