Laborera i fysik, en självklarhet, men när?

Sammanfattning: The theoretical background in this essay made clear that the students’ knowledge about physics improve, and they express a more positive attitude towards physics as a subject, when they have access to a more laboratory-based learning style. The aim of this study is to research how the placement of the lab relative to the lecture affects the students’ experiences and level of knowledge. The study involved students in year eight and was carried out during four weeks. A total of four lectures were held in addition to a total of eight labs devided on four lab-lessons. The students were divided into two different groups, one where the students were given lectures before they preformed the labs and one where the students had the labs prior to the corresponding lectures. Tests were given at the beginning and end of the study to evaluate any difference in knowledge and in addition to this the students answered surveys regarding their attitudes and experiences. The data belonging to each group was then compared. The result showed that the two groups improved their knowledge by nearly the same amount and any differences found regarding qualitative or quantitative knowledge between the two groups was minor. The one difference that could be found dealt with the students’ attitudes towards their education. The students in the group that had their lab-lesson before the corresponding lecture perceived the lecture as easier to understand than the other group. The perceived difficulty of the labs could not be connected to whether the students had the lab or the lecture first.