Effect of a formal lab practical performance activity before written exams on test scores in high school physics classes

Abstract

Mastering a physical concept is and should always be the goal of any lesson in a physics classroom. How to prove the understanding of that concept is difficult to assess. Written exams only give us a small indication of our students' competency. However, if we ask them to demonstrate their understanding of the concept with some sort of task, they can prove it. This study examines whether the use of an individual lab practical performance activity the day before their written exam increased student test scores. Test scores from three separate semesters of physics classes were compared. In the first two semesters, the classes had a traditional review day before the exam and the lab practical was not used at all. In the second year, we introduced the lab practical on the review day as a short lab-based assessment. The results of this study indicate that the students who were given the lab practical scored the same statistically as the previous semesters.