Abstract
Based on concern for the equality of learning opportunities in laboratories, this study explores the meanings of learning opportunities through a theoretical literature review, investigates the distributions of learning opportunities during practical laboratory instruction. The study discusses meanings of learning opportunities from the perspectives of both social interaction and cognitive engagement. Furthermore, the study used a “three-step instruction management” system to further understand the pattern of students’ learning opportunity shift alone with different laboratory activities.
During the interactions of students in the junior high school laboratory, students of higher status in class tend to have better and more opportunities to learn. On the other hand, students of lower status in class tend to take less learning opportunities for processing higher level thinking. The “three-step instruction management” system helps change the distributions of learning opportunities among students and promote higher levels of cognitive involvement in activities. However, regardless of the change shown above, the static status differences among students still remain.
| Keywords: | learning opportunity; laboratory; social interaction; cognitive engagement |
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