THE IMPORTANCE OF A LABORATORY IN TEACHING AND LEARNING SCIENCE

There is a trend away from using laboratory instruction in science for a variety of reasons. Some school boards express concern about its expense, some teachers note that it is messy and time-consuming. Yet, many experienced teachers believe that laboratory activity is at the very heart of science instruction. Teachers who believe that the laboratory accomplishes something special for their students would do well to consider carefully what these outcomes might be and then to find ways to measure them.
Over the years, many have argued that science cannot be meaningful to students without worthwhile practical experiences in the school laboratory. Some laboratory activities have been designed and conducted to engage students individually, while others have sought to engage students in small groups and in large-group demonstration settings.
A science laboratory can be used to assess the students’ skills in computations or problem solving, predictions and accuracy, measurement, and time observance. However, the types of research already done in this field have demonstrated the relevance of equipping the laboratories with the relevant resources that can improve the efficiency and participation of the students. Most of the research work focused on putting emphasis on how the laboratory becomes a major tool in reinforcing the principles already covered in the classroom set up but do not address the issue of the ratio of the number of students to the resources available.