An Empirical Study On Students’ Understanding Of Scientists’ Qualities Through Project Based Learning

Scientists show many great qualities in the process of scientific study.Learning from them helps perfect the students’ view of nature, enrich theirexperience of science and form a positive attitude towards science.Based on the review of previous researches, the study analyzes the qualitiesscientists may possess, and work out a project-based teaching design bycombining the experience students have had, the social life they will experienceand the great qualities of scientists. Three topics in the design, which are“detection of formaldehyde from the floor”,“researches on benzene” and “discoveryof elements and the Nobel Prize”, have been selected from the chemistry textbookfor senior high schools published by Shanghai Science and Technology Press.The author tries to prove through experiments that the project-based learning cancontribute to the students’ understanding of the scientists’ great qualities.Students in Grade2in the senior high school the author works in are the objectsof the study.According to the teaching practice and the questionnaires conducted beforeand after class, the same conclusion has been reached and we now know theproject-based teaching does help students understand the scientists’ greatqualities.What is unique in the study is that regular teaching in senior high schoolshas been combined with the project-based learning that aims at understanding thescientists’ great qualities, which will inspire more similar practice. However,what remains to be improved is that more objects of the study are needed and thequestionnaires want improving.