Directed Writing: Reinforcing Scientific Literacy through the Laboratory Report Process
Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2019, Volume 40
Alexandra Barrera & Shoshana Katzman
Abstract
Scientific literacy is a fundamental competency for students in undergraduate courses, where students gain the ability to understand the scientific process and to communicate science to others. The generation of a written report that mimics a research article reinforces scientific literacy when students effectively: 1) procure relevant peer-reviewed literature and properly cite, 2) formulate a hypothesis based on previous research in the field, 3) interpret data and format results, and 4) evaluate the connection of the data to previously published work. Separation of the research article into a series of smaller assignments directed students through the expectations for the content expected in each section of a journal article. Students received feedback before moving on to the next segment, allowing time to refine their work, thereby improving skills in understanding the process of scientific research, reading comprehension of scientific literature, and effectively and professionally communicating findings.
