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Asia-Pacific
Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 6, Issue 1, Article
5
(June,
2005) May Hung CHENG and Hing Lun TSOI Designing and implementing scientific investigation activities at junior secondary level
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Designing and implementing scientific investigation activities at junior secondary level
May Hung CHENG and Hing Lun TSOI
Department of Science
The Hong Kong Institute of Education
Hong Kong, CHINA
Email: maycheng@ied.edu.hk and hltsoi@ied.edu.hk
Received 6 May, 2005
Revised 21 June, 2005
Abstract
This paper introduces the design and implementation of three scientific investigation activities at junior secondary levels. The discussion provides insight on the learning objectives and factors to note in designing such activities. The paper also points out the relationship between daily life experiences and scientific investigation activities, as well as the meaning of stimulating students to think in scientific investigation with an aim to promote the quality of learning. An analysis of the work samples suggests that when teachers design tasks that are more open-ended, students are better at mastering scientific investigation activities. Moreover, the paper illustrates how students achieve better understanding of the meaning of scientific inquiries through the writing of reports on their scientific investigation activities. The paper concludes with suggestions for teachers on the design of scientific investigation activities.