Chapter 7: The Effect of the Vee Heuristic on Students' Meaningful Learning in Physics Laboratories

The science laboratory has been considered one of the main vehicles for enhancing science learning not only as a means of demonstration but also as the heart of the science learning process (Hofstein & Lunetta, 1982, 2004; Nakhleh, 1994; Tamir, 1989; Trowbridge & Bybee, 1990). According to Ausubel (1963) laboratory activities help students to appreciate science and the methods used in scientific discovery. In order to reach this goal, the learning process in the laboratory must be based on the constructivist view of learning in general and inquiry in particular. Using inquiry provides students with the opportunity to engage in the process of investigation (Abd-El-Khalick et al., 2004; Carillo, Lee, & Rickey, 2005; Hofstein & Lunetta, 1982, 2004; Roth & Roychoudhury, 1993). Research on the effects of laboratory activities shows that involving students in authentic inquiry helps them to construct their own understandings of science concepts (Roehric, Lulie, & Edwards, 2001; Roth & Roychoudhury, 1993), construct knowledge schemes and solve problems (German, Haskins, & Auls, 1996), practice science as scientists (Okebukola & Ogunniyi, 1984), and develop positive attitudes toward science (Lehrer, Schauble, & Petrosino, 2001) and critical thinking and decision-making skills (Abd-El-Khalick et al., 2004).