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How Students Use Scientific Instruments To Create Understanding: CCD Spectrophotometers
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Abstract
We investigated how upper-division college students interacted with a CCD spectrophotometer to identify the characteristics of this instrument that influenced students‘ construction of scientific understanding. We specifically wanted to understand the mechanisms by which scientific instruments influence student learning. The ideas of distributed cognition and the theory of affordances were used as a framework to identify the affordances of the CCD spectrophotometer that affected learning. We found the primary affordances of the spectrophotometer were related to the graphical display of data. Students were able to use this feature in order to: (1) interpret their data, (2) discover unexpected results, (3) confirm the validity of their data, (4) make predictions about their solutions, and (5) check for error. We found other affordances that fit into four general areas: time, error, ease of use, and other physical affordances. Overall, we found that experimental designs and objectives influence the affordances that students perceive in instruments. Therefore, instructors must be cognizant of their objectives for instrument use in a laboratory setting and choose instruments and procedures that are consistent with those objectives.
Keywords (Audience):
Upper-Division UndergraduateKeywords (Domain):
Analytical ChemistryKeywords (Feature):
Chemical Education ResearchKeywords (Pedagogy):
Inquiry-Based / Discovery LearningKeywords (Subject):
Instrumental MethodsCiting Articles
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This article has been cited by 5 ACS Journal articles (5 most recent appear below).
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Larry S. Miller , Mary B. Nakhleh , John J. Nash and Jeanne A. MeyerJournal of Chemical Education2004 81 (12), 1801The interactions of students with chemical instrumentation and chromatographic techniques were observed in a second-semester general chemistry course for chemistry majors. Students engaged in a lab activity in which groups of three or four students used ...
How Students Use Scientific Instruments To Create Understanding: CCD Spectrophotometers. Can We Afford Affordances?
Roy W. ClarkJournal of Chemical Education2004 81 (4), 486How Students Use Scientific Instruments To Create Understanding: CCD Spectrophotometers. Can We Afford Affordances?
Roy W. ClarkJournal of Chemical Education2004 81 (4), 486The author expresses his hope that future papers will define “educationese” terms when writing for mere chemists.
How Students Use Scientific Instruments To Create Understanding: CCD Spectrophotometers. We Must Afford Affordances (author's response)
Eric Malina , Mary B. NakhlehJournal of Chemical Education2004 81 (4), 486How Students Use Scientific Instruments To Create Understanding: CCD Spectrophotometers. We Must Afford Affordances (author's response)
Eric Malina , Mary B. NakhlehJournal of Chemical Education2004 81 (4), 486Affordances can offer new insight into student learning, especially student learning in the laboratory.
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- Received: August 03, 2009
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