Biological science students' perception on their Chemistry laboratory experiences at University of Mindanao

Abstract

The BSED Biological Science students of University of Mindanao have to take four 5-unit Chemistry subjects throughout their 4-year course. As a result, the students are besieged with new data, techniques and concepts about Chemistry. Due to this, the researchers of this study initiated an investigation ofhow the Biological Science students of the University of Mindanao perceive their Chemistry Laboratory experiences. The main purpose of this study is to provide a description of their level of perception in terms of the learning environment, the facilities in the laboratory, the teacher factor as well as the effect of these experiences in their academic performance. This study also aims to gain understanding about the perception of the students in the efficacy of their laboratory-based learning when working in laboratory by group or individually. A descriptive-survey type of research was used in this study. With the use of simple random sampling, a total of 105 BSED Biological Science students of University of Mindanao participated in the study. The researchers utilized a constructed questionnaire that has undergone pilot testing and additional validation. The results of the study showed that the student-respondents have good perception about the Chemistry Laboratory. Furthermore, the results implied that the responses of the students differ from each other. Thus, in general, their perceptions may vary from each other. A similar study may be done to different educational levels, subject and larger number of respondents is recommended.

Keywords: chemistry laboratory, laboratory experiences, perception