edited by GARYE. DUNKLEBERGER Carroll County Publlc Schools
Science Fair Projects Some Guidelines for Better Science David Pushkin' University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620 In the name of better science, an increasing number of high schools are requiring their students t o do science projects for school fairs and subsequent competitions. Although this is a step in the right direction, there are still some problems with the science fair process. Several schools still maintain the policy that the students may do whatever they wish. as lone" as i t is science-related. and too manv oeonle . place importance on the competitions and p r i ~ e sforgetting ,~ that science projects are the parallel of basic research, which is not intended for silver trophies.3 The hieh school science ~ r o i e cshould t he basic, esoecially since t h e level of studeni knowledge is basic. TO; often, students choose projects that are too complex in principle, too elaborate in design, and too complicated in presenting and explaining. I t is best if students are advised by their teachers to do projects that are simple and relevant. If a student is in a chemistry class, then that student should be doing a project related to chemistry. As far as topics are concerned, it is recommended that the students look throueh their textbooks for ideas. Althoueh this is not an accepted practice in education, it is believed that student choice can be limited without threatenina creativitv or oripinality. Students should not be discouraged from "reinventine the wheel" simolv because they have no idea how much ofihe wheel exists< Research is the process of studying a scientific problem with the intent of solving i t andlor learning about it. This concept should be emphasized as much as possible, so that the students do not lose sight of priorities. The scientific problem is what the teacher has provided the class, and the purpose of the experiment is essentially the research ques.
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Journal of Chemical Education
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tion itself. The research auestion is oreferred over the hvpothesis, because the hypothesis is'often misused in the sense that it is often improperly stated as a prediction of final results. This research question should simply ask about the experiment. For example, if dissolving table salt in water, one might wish to know the effect of the salt on electrical conduction. The research question could be "What effects do different salts (or solutes) have on the electrical activity of solutions?", or if one wished to study a solvent effect, the question could be "What effects do solvents have on electrical activity of solutions?" In reality, the research question could he ;rearrangement of the title of the experiment. A major point should be made in regard to the purpose of the project, especially if the students are limited to just chemistry projects. Relevance is imnortant to the sciences. and i t should he impressed upon the class that a project must have some significance to others, so that others could learn from what is presented. This is the reason for limiting the scope of the student proiects. The students should submit brief proposals to the teacher, in order to prevent duplication of ideas and to insure that the project is feasible. A relevant project could provide a benefit to classmates and teacher alike,
'
Present address: St. Petersburg Catholic High Schooi, 6333 9th Avenue, N., St. Petersburg. FL 33710. Beller, J. So You Want ToDoa Science Project! Arco: New Yoh. 1982: Chapter 1. Loiry, W. S. Winning with Science: The Complete Guide to ScC ence Research and Programs for Students: Loiry: Sarasota, FL. 1983: Chapter 1.
simply because i t presents basic principles that were part of the course curriculum. T o introduce students to the research process, the teacher should nresent a chemical situation to the class and proceed through the steps that are involved in conducting the proiect.4 Such an example would he the d:ssolvin~ .of tahle salt in a beaker of water: NaCl + H,O
+
Nat,,,
+ CLiq,
this experiment. If a student wished to study solvent effects with table salt, then there should he enough NaCl for each trial with an equal volume of each solvent (water, ethanol, acetone, vinegar (5%acetic acid), etc. . .). If solute effects were tohe s t d i e d , then a list ofseveral different compottnd~ should be prppnred. r\ny classware or supporting equipment . . needed fo; measurementi should also he included. Before a student conducts an experiment, the ideas of controls and variables should he und&stood..s i m ~ l because v an experiment has a cause-effect relationship, and if all other variables are not kept constant as the independent variahle is manipulated, then the dependent variable will not provide any valid data. I t is the student's decision as to how often the dependent variahle will he measured and what that dependent variahle will he. The vocabulary of research must he carefully defined for the class, in order not to cause confusion. Data analysis should also he explained, and the student must decide what statistical measures are necessary to interpret the data, it he a correlation coefficient . .whether . Or a t test Of standard dev'at'Ons. The conclusions that the students will draw from the data will express the answer to the research question. In the case the given example, the be that salts dissociate only in polar solvents, or that 1:l electrolytes dissociate more rapidly than 1:2 electrolytes, or anything else that was to he studied or observed. The only criteria that are required to provide aconclusion are the independent and dependent Because of the limited scope of the student projects, i t is quite likely that there will be related literature or available reference sources for currently accepted or theoretical values. If this is the case, then the student should provide a few references and do an error analysis if there is any discrepancy between resulting data. Finally, the student should he advised on the manner in which the project will he presented. I t is recommended that the students present posters of protocols, graphs, and data. The posters should also hear the title of the project, the student conducting the experiments, and a written abstract, which will state the purpose, principles, and findings of the student's project. I t is also recommended that any related reference sources he provided on the poster to accompany the abstract. The fewer props brought to the presentation, the simpler and more efficient the project will appear to be. I t is again emphasized that students he properly introduced to the concepts and practices of scientific research from a basic standpoint, be advised of the real purpose of science projects, and keep the principles for success in mind: simplicity, relevance, and understanding. If these ideas are accepted by the teacher and student, then the well-conducted science project should receive the rewards it deserves, 0"-n if r ~ m a r r l were s not the initial vnal A
The reaction is so simple to demonstrate and explain: An electrolyte (salt) is dissolved in water, resulting in dissociation. Ions are present in the beaker, as electricity can he conducted. In amatter of minutes, the teacher has explained some concepts with one example. Now the teacher should ask the students to alter the conditions of the reaction. Unaware of what the teacher is trying to accomplish, the students might suggest changing the amount of salt or the volume of water to he used. However, they should be led to the idea of usine different salts and different solvents, and. keeping the concept of electrical conduction in mind, the students will he indirectly introduced to the idea of indepenhi^ should also impress dent and dependent upon them the idea of experimental and control samples, as they will require a standard reaction with which to make
---. oncethis sense of experimentation has heen developed, mmnnm;.nn. y-. .--A&-.
the teacher should discuss the parts of a research project in relation to the given example. The following topics are of importance to the lesson: 1. What is research?
What is a scientific problem? What is the purpose of the project? What is the experimental design? 5. Haw are data eathered? 6. flow are dntl nnnlyred? 7. What conrlurions mn he d r a m f n n the data? 8. Are there any nvnilnhle literature or reference suurcesq
2. 3. 4.
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Returnine to the salt-to-water examnle. . . the students must now plan their experimental design. The design of an experiment is tv~icallv the most difficult sten in the research .. process, because i t involves such factors as materials, time, and money.5 The project should he no more complicated than an experiment that is done in lab class. The students should also he encouraged to conduct their experiments in the lab at school (time and supervision providing), since the kitchen table is no proper place to conduct an experiment. In the case of the given example, the students must prepare a "shopping list" of the materials that they would require for
* Chiappelta, E. L.; Foots, B. K. Sci. Teach. 1984, 51(8),24-26 Hamriok I
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Ch;ldrm 1983. 70171 72-75
Volume 64
Number 11 November 1987
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