In the curriculum for chemistry, the experimental work is defined as the central method for assimilation of the knowledge of chemistry where the emphasis is on independent experimental work of the students. In the theoretical part of the master’s thesis, the literature was studied in the field of experimental work in macro and micro performance in Slovenia and abroad. Experimental work in macro performance is related to research, checking of the phenomena, and scientific laws in exactly determined and repeatable circumstances. Established techniques, procedures, laboratory equipment, and reagents that enable achieving the teaching goals of the curriculum are used for the performance. Experimental work in micro performance is related to research, checking of the phenomena, and scientific laws in exactly determined and repeatable circumstances, for the performance of which small quantities (measurable in mg and mL) of reagents are used, as well as specially adapted laboratory equipment in a way that enables achieving the teaching goals of the curriculum. In the master’s thesis, the comparison of macro and micro performance of the experimental part in the school laboratory for achieving the selected teaching goals of the curriculum was studied. The main purpose of the master’s thesis was the performance and evaluation of the independent experimental work of the students in the macro performance in comparison to the micro performance from the perspective of developing experimental skills of the students and the knowledge of chemistry.
In the empirical part of the master’s thesis, research was performed on an occasional sample of elementary schools where 200 students from 14 elementary schools were included. The students were divided into a control and experimental group on the basis of their success on the pretest of the chemistry knowledge. The pretest to ascertain the differences in the knowledge of the students between the control and experimental groups was taken by the students directly after the performance of the lesson within which the performance of experimental work in the micro performance (experimental group) and experimental work in the macro performance (control group) were used. The students took the repeated test of knowledge four weeks after the performed intervention at school. In addition, the students evaluated individual performances from the perspective of handling the laboratory equipment, observation, writing down the results, measuring quantities, etc. of the experimental work in macro and micro performance with a self-evaluation questionnaire on the performance of independent experimental work.
The results of the performed research showed that the students of the experimental group took the test and repeated the test of knowledge more successfully statistically significantly in comparison to the students of the control group. The results of the questionnaire on the performance of the school lesson did not show any differences in the success of the assimilation of the laboratory skills among the students of the control and experimental groups. Thus, we can conclude that from the perspective of quality and durability of the knowledge, the performance of the experimental work in the micro performance is an equal approach for learning and teaching chemistry in comparison to experimental work in the macro performance.
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