Developing Cloud Chambers with High School Students

TL;DR

This paper reports on a high school project to develop a dry-ice-free cloud chamber, highlighting its educational benefits and detailed technical design, demonstrating how hands-on scientific activities enhance student motivation and skills.

Contribution

It introduces a practical, salt-and-ice based cloud chamber for science education and evaluates its positive impact on high school students' motivation and learning.

Findings

Students' motivation for science increased.

Hands-on projects improve academic skills.

Technical design of a salt-ice cloud chamber described.

Abstract

The result and outcome of the \textit{cloud chamber project}, which aims to develop a cloud chamber useful for science education is reported in detail. A project includes both three high school students and a teacher as a part of Super Science High School (SSH) program in our school. We develop a dry-ice-free cloud chamber using salt and ice (or snow). Technical details of the chamber are described. We also argue how the project have affected student's cognition, motivation, academic skills and behavior. The research project has taken steps of professional researchers, i.e., in planning research, applying fund, writing a paper and giving a talk in conferences. From interviews with students, we have learnt that such style of scientific activity is very effective in promoting student's motivation for learning science.