Hands-on equals minds-on? A test of linkage between laboratory experience and measured achievement in an introductory college biology course

This study investigated the specific contribution of laboratory experience to student performance on achievement tests in an introductory college biology course. This required pre-medical student course (900 students) was separated by the biology department into a lecture course and a laboratory course, creating the study groups. The topics selected for treatment were in the field of molecular biology, including restriction enzyme manipulation and plasmid mapping of DNA sequences.;Random samples (30 per group) of students enrolled in the lecture course and laboratory course, lecture course only, or laboratory course only were post-tested and second post-tested for objective test achievement in the topical field after laboratory participation. Student self-reported essays on topical concept gains from laboratory experience were categorized and analyzed in relation to achievement outcomes.;A significant difference (F = 5.47, df = 2,87, alpha = .05) was present within the group by test achievement scores. Analysis showed no significant difference in test scores over time for the laboratory and lecture and laboratory only groups. There was a significant decline in test scores for the lecture only group over time.;Analysis of 509 student self-reported essays showed approximately 18.5% reporting no abstract comprehension gain from the specific laboratory experience they chose to report. Approximately 8.3% of the essays reported increased confusion of topical concepts after participating in the laboratory exercise. The balance of the students (73.3%) reported increased topical concept understanding after laboratory exercise participation.;The results suggest the importance of laboratory participation for long-term concept retention and the benefit of post-laboratory experience reflection time before objective testing. Direct instruction without laboratory experience appears to yield gains which are short term in nature. Student self-reports suggested cognitive gains from laboratory experience may be based in student initiated questioning during and after the laboratory experience. This is compatible with a constructivist explanation of student schema development.