Effects of Level of Openness in Agriscience Experiments on Student Achievement and Science Process Skill Development

Level of openness in an experiment refers to the extent to which students are provided procedures for performing the lab. In traditional approaches students follow a very prescriptive format, often working to verify what is already known, as opposed to undertaking true experimentation. Many teachers and researchers today are calling for a more open and investigative approach to student experimentation. This study compared the effects of level of openness in agriscience experiments on student achievement and understanding of science process skills. Nine teachers who had previously taught the Biological and/or Physical Science Applications in Agriculture courses (BSAA and PSAA) participated in the study. Each teacher taught three BSAA and two PSAA labs over a 30-day period. Teachers were provided lesson plans corresponding to their randomly assigned teaching approach. Students completed pretests on the BSAA and PSAA labs and science process skills, with these scores used as covariates. The GEFT learning style assessment was used to determine preferred learning styles. The Test of Integrated Process Skills was used to assess students’ science process skills. Students in the study were predominantly field dependent learners. MANCOVA and follow-up univariate analyses of covariance procedures were used. Students in the traditional (prescriptive) lab format scored significantly higher on all three dependent measures (BSAA achievement test, PSAA achievement test, and science process skills) than those in the more open, investigative group. Females scored higher than males in the control group but lower than males in the treatment group. Dependent measures were not influenced by learning style