Diagnosis of difficulties in of handing variables and drawing conclusions by means of the reports of an initial experimental activity

Abstract

The aim of this paper is limited to the assessment of some science process and skills that prospective Primary teachers (PPTs) should develop. Sixty three PPTs were initiated in scientific practices through Inquiry based Learning (IBL) in groups. This training was started with the so named guided experimental activity (ExA1): ‘Stratification and segregation by mechanical agitating: Which takes precedence: the heavier or the lighter? Don't push yourself too hard, shake them and they´ll detach themselves!. Instrument for data collection consisted of an open ended questionnaire titled What have we learned?, one questionnaire per group, completed during the class following the implementation of the ExA. The results showed that most of the groups identified the relevant variables that may affect the segregation of the objects in the shaking granular material. But vast majority of them failed to set the control of variables carried out. Only a few of them were able to depict the experimental design developed. And they show only partial coherence when drawing conclusions.