Preparing students for authentic research through open-inquiry laboratory courses

TL;DR

This paper discusses principles and practical examples for organizing inquiry-based laboratory courses that effectively prepare high school and college students for authentic independent research experiences.

Contribution

It introduces specific principles and implementation examples for inquiry-based labs aimed at preparing students for authentic research, filling a gap in existing teaching materials.

Findings

Effective inquiry-based labs enhance research readiness.

Examples include physics and chemistry courses.

Principles guide lab organization for research preparation.

Abstract

Authentic research as a method of teaching science is gaining popularity in high schools and colleges. To make this research experience most efficient, students need adequate preparation in traditional science courses. Existing materials available for inquiry-based teaching methods are not intended to prepare a student for independent research. We discuss principles for organization of laboratory classes with this goal in mind and provide examples that we have implemented for algebra-based physics, calculus-based physics, and honors chemistry for high school students.