In the last
decade, the “Case-based Computerized Laboratories” (CCL) learning unit was
developed at the Technion within the framework of chemical education. The unit
combines experiments that encourage usage of sensors while creating graphs in
real time, developing students’ higher order thinking skills, and critical reading
of scientific case studies. The CCL learning environment was tested among 12th
grade chemistry honors students-224 students from the Arab sector and 159
students from the Jewish sector—the experimental group. The comparison groups
consisted of 176 students who studied in the traditional, close-ended
laboratory environment in the Arab sector and 129 students who studied in the
inquiry-based laboratory environment in Jewish sector. The research objectives
were to investigate students’ perceptions of the learning environment in
various laboratory modes and to characterize cultural and gender differences.
The research instruments included two SLEI—Science Laboratory Environment
Inventory—questionnaires at actual and preferred situations with an open feedback
question and observations. Analysis of the students’ perception of the CCL
learning environment showed that the students in the Jewish sector perceived
the learning environment in the laboratory more positively than the students in
the Arab sector in the categories of student cohesiveness and physical
environment in both actual and preferred situations. CCL Arab students
perceived the environment more positively than the CCL Jewish students in the
categories of integration, clarity of rules, involvement, open-endedness, and
views about the laboratory in the actual and preferred situation. CCL Arab
students perceived the learning environment more positively in the categories
of involvement, integration, and organization in both situations while Arab
students in the close-ended laboratory perceived the learning environment more
positively only in the open-endedness category of actual situation. CCL
students viewed more positively the category of rule clarity in both situations
and the teacher support and laboratory attitudes in the actual situation while
their peers from the inquiry-based group viewed more favorably the categories
of students’ cohesiveness and open-endedness in both situations.
CCL male and
female perceptions in both sectors are more similar to each other than the
perceptions of male and female students at the close-ended laboratory
environment. CCL female students have a more positive perception than male
students only in student cohesiveness category and their views regarding
laboratory. This study contributes to the expansion of the theoretical
knowledge about technology-rich laboratory learning environments and about
cultural and gender diversity.
