The impact of experimental activities on the motivation and acquisition of scientific concepts at the basic school level

Abstract

Forty students (middle school) participated in the science activity entitled “Scientists for a Day”, developed by the Life and Health Science Research Institute/School of Health Science, University of Minho. The activity consisted in a set of laboratory activities. The general objectives of this activity were to stimulate the pleasure of knowledge, encourage critical views, heighten the interest in science, motivate students towards experimental work and demystify the idea of what a Scientist is. To validate this activity and evaluate what they have learned, the students were asked to answer a questionnaire before and after this action. In this study we observed a clear correlation between the use of experimental activities as a learning tool and an increase in scientific knowledge.