Abstract:

This study aims to investigate the effects of inquiry-based laboratory applications on students’ motivation and learning strategies. The research was conducted in the form of one group pretest – posttest design. 22 undergraduate students taking the course Chemistry Experiments in Secondary Education in the spring semester of 2014-2015 academic year were included in the research. Chemistry Motivation Questionnaire and Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire were employed in the research as the tool of data collection. Paired-samples t test was used for related samples in order to check whether or not students’ pre-experimental and post-experimental motivations and their learning strategies differed significantly. The findings obtained demonstrated that intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, self-determination and career motivation – which were the sub-dimensions of motivation- apart from grade motivation and organization, elaboration, critical thinking and metacognitive self-regulation – which were the sub-dimensions of learning strategies- developed significantly as a result of laboratory applications based on inquiry.

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