Looking Deeper: Using The Mobile Microscope To Support Young Children'S Scientific Inquiries

This study adopted a quasi-experimental design with the support of qualitative information to investigate the impact of the mobile microscope on students' science learning outcomes in a laboratory setting. The duration of the educational experiment was 5 weeks. Research participants comprised 56 third graders from two different classes at a public elementary school in Taiwan. Two classes with an equal number of students formed the experimental and control groups. Students in the experimental group employed mobile microscopes to support their scientific inquiries, whereas students in the control group used only tablet computers to facilitate their science learning. A standardized test was developed to measure students' basic understanding of botany. Additionally, semi-structured concept mapping was employed as an alternative non-standardized test to evaluate students' natural science learning. The quantitative findings indicated a significant instructional effect in the students' concept mapping but not in the standardized test. The qualitative results revealed that mobile microscopes might motivate students to actively engage in knowledge discussion and sharing during plant observation.