Students' motivation during experimental activities: an empirical study with GeoBoxes in Germany

This study investigates students' motivation during experimentation in geography lessons by implementing a newly developed experimental kit on soils (GeoBox) in Germany. The study focuses on a first evaluation by means of a one-group pretest/posttest design. Fifth-grade students (N = 166) answered a questionnaire pertaining to regular geography lessons (pretest) and took part in eight lessons with GeoBox, followed by a questionnaire regarding the experimental learning phase (posttest). Upon comparison of pretest and posttest scores, the results showed significant intra-individual differences regarding activation and students' motivation. Students valued GeoBox and expected to be successful at tasks that entailed use of the kit.