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Science laboratory classroom environments in Korean high schools

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Abstract

In order to investigate the learning environment of senior high school science laboratory classrooms in Korea, the Science Laboratory Environment Inventory (SLEI) was translated into Korean and administered to 439 students (99 science-independent stream students, 195 science-oriented stream students and 145 humanities stream students). Data analyses attested to the sound factorial validity and internal consistency reliability of the SLEI, as well as its ability to differentiate between the perceptions of students in different classrooms. Students in the science-independent stream generally perceived their science laboratory classroom environment more favourably than did students in either the humanities or science-oriented stream. Associations were found between various measures of students’ attitudes to science and their perceptions on SLEI scales; in particular, as in past research in other countries, integration between theory and practical classes was a statistically significant predictor of all attitude criteria when the other SLEI scales were mutually controlled.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Science and Mathematics Education Centre, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia

    Barry J. Fraser & Sunny S. U. Lee

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  1. Barry J. Fraser
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  2. Sunny S. U. Lee
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Correspondence to Barry J. Fraser.

Appendix

Appendix

Items in original version of Science Laboratory Environment Inventory (SLEI)

1.

I get on well with students in this laboratory class.

2.

There is opportunity for me to pursue my own science interests in this laboratory class.

3.

What I do in our regular science class is unrelated to my laboratory work.

4.

My laboratory class has clear rules to guide my activities.

5.

I find that the laboratory is crowded when I am doing experiments.

6.

I have little chance to get to know other students in this laboratory class.

7.

In this laboratory class, I am required to design my own experiments to solve a given problem.

8.

The laboratory work is unrelated to the topics that I am studying in my science class.

9.

My laboratory class is rather informal and few rules are imposed on me.

10.

The equipment and materials that I need for laboratory activities are readily available.

11.

Members of this laboratory class help me.

12.

In my laboratory sessions, other students collect different data than I do for the same problem.

13.

My regular science class work is integrated with laboratory activities.

14.

I am required to follow certain rules in the laboratory.

15.

I am ashamed of the appearance of this laboratory.

16.

I get to know students in this laboratory class well.

17.

I am allowed to go beyond the regular laboratory exercise and do some experimenting of my own.

18.

I use the theory from my regular science class sessions during laboratory activities.

19.

There is a recognised way for me to do things safely in this laboratory.

20.

The laboratory equipment which I use is in poor working order.

21.

I am able to depend on other students for help during laboratory classes.

22.

In my laboratory sessions, I do different experiments than some of the other students.

23.

The topics covered in regular science class work are quite different from topics with which I deal in laboratory sessions.

24.

There are few fixed rules for me to follow in laboratory sessions.

25.

I find that the laboratory is hot and stuffy.

26.

It takes me a long time to get to know everybody by his/her first name in this laboratory class.

27.

In my laboratory sessions, the teacher decides the best way for me to carry out the laboratory experiments.

28.

What I do in laboratory sessions helps me to understand the theory covered in regular science classes.

29.

The teacher outlines safety precautions to me before my laboratory sessions commence.

30.

The laboratory is an attractive place for me to work in.

31.

I work cooperatively in laboratory sessions.

32.

I decide the best way to proceed during laboratory experiments.

33.

My laboratory work and regular science class work are unrelated.

34.

My laboratory class is run under clearer rules than my other classes.

35.

My laboratory has enough room for individual or group work.

  1. The items are arranged in cyclic order with the first item in each block assessing Student Cohesiveness, the second item assessing Open-endedness, the third item assessing Integration, the fourth item assessing Rule Clarity and the last item in each block assessing Material Environment
  2. The response alternatives of Almost Never, Seldom, Sometimes, Often and Very Often are scored 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively, for all items except those whose item number is underlined (which are scored in the reverse manner)

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Fraser, B.J., Lee, S.S.U. Science laboratory classroom environments in Korean high schools. Learning Environ Res 12, 67–84 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-008-9048-1

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