Effects of Investigative Laboratory Instruction on Content Knowledge and Science Process Skill Achievement across Learning Styles

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of investigative laboratory integration on student content knowledge and science process skill achievement across learning styles. Treatment groups utilized one of three levels of treatment: subject matter approach without laboratory experimentation, subject matter approach with prescriptive laboratory experimentation, and subject matter approach with investigative laboratory experimentation. A nonequivalent control group quasi-experimental design was used. A purposively selected sample based upon the ability of the teacher to effectively deliver the treatments was selected from the population of students enrolled in an introductory agriscience course. Using regression analyses it was determined that learning style, teaching method, ethnicity, content knowledge pretest scores, and science process skill pretest scores accounted for 33% of the variance in content knowledge gain score. Learning style, gender, teaching method, science process skill pretest scores, and content knowledge pretest scores accounted for 36% of the variance in science process skill gain score. Students taught using the subject matter approach or the investigative laboratory approach were reported as having higher content knowledge and science process skill gain scores than students taught using the prescriptive laboratory approach.