Hybrid Laboratory Application: Impact on Students’ Process Skills and Knowledge in Pamantasan

This study determined the effectiveness of hybrid laboratory (both physical and virtual laboratory modality) and its impacts on students’ process skills and knowledge in their science course. Using the convergent mixed method research design, for the quantitative data analysis, 160 student-respondents from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng San Pablo taking up Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in Science and Bachelor of Science in Psychology underwent hybrid laboratory classes and took pre-post tests that served as the resource of data. Eight (8) participants shared their lived experiences regarding the conduct of laboratory classes using virtual and physical set-up.

 

Results revealed that there was a relative change and significant difference in the score of the post test from the pre-test, indicating that the students increased their level of knowledge when exposed to both laboratory modalities.  Student’s perception on the use of hybrid laboratory for usability, students viewed it as pleasing to use (satisfaction with a system means basically how pleasing it is to use) and affects the user’s motivation and thus the effectiveness of use; and for manipulation, results revealead that virtual laboratory is easy to handle and execute laboratory task. When student-participants described their lived experiences regarding the conduct of laboratory classes using virtual and physical set-up, five (5) themes were generated sucha as functionality, accessibility, cognitive presence, psychomotor presence and social presence.

 

The use of hybrid laboratory can be recommended for teachers and school administrators to be implemented in their teaching-learning process, also it can be considered to be implemented in the new context of learning modality that shifts from time-to-time depending on the different environmental impacts (pandemic, increasing heat index, etc.)