Smartphone-Assisted Experimentation as a Medium of Understanding Human Biology Through Inquiry-Based Learning
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22047374 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Giovanna Brita Campilongo (Universidade Federal de São Paulo), Giovanna Tonzar-Santos (0000-0003-3380-2715, Universidade Federal de São Paulo), Maria Eduarda dos Santos Verginio (Universidade Federal de São Paulo), Camilo Lellis‐Santos (0000-0002-7882-7548, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Pages | 1005 |
| Publication date | 2025-08-06 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Education Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/educsci15081005 |
| OpenAlex | W4413006759 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 41 |
The integration of Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) and mobile technologies can transform science education, offering experimentation opportunities to students from budget-constrained schools. This study investigates the efficacy of smartphone-assisted experimentation (SAE) within IBL to enhance pre-service science teachers’ understanding of human physiology and presents a newly developed and validated rubric for assessing their scientific skills. Students (N = 286) from a Science and Mathematics Teacher Education Program participated in a summative IBL activity (“Investigating the Human Physiology”—iHPhys) where they designed experimental projects using smartphone applications to collect body sign data. The scoring rubric, assessing seven criteria including hypothesis formulation, methodological design, data presentation, and conclusion writing, was validated as substantial to almost perfect inter-rater reliability. Results reveal that students exhibited strong skills in hypothesis clarity, theoretical grounding, and experimental design, with a high degree of methodological innovation observed. However, challenges persisted in predictive reasoning and evidence-based conclusion writing. The students were strongly interested in inquiring about the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Correlational analyses suggest a positive relationship between project originality and overall academic performance. Thus, integrating SAE and IBL fosters critical scientific competencies, creativity, and epistemic cognition while democratizing access to scientific experimentation and engaging students in tech-savvy pedagogical practices
Mathematics education · Computer Science · Educational Strategies and Epistemologies · Innovative Teaching Methods · Psychology · Science Education and Pedagogy
STEM Project-Based Learning
Project-based learning
Understanding students' practical epistemologies and their influence on learning through inquiry
The use of scoring rubrics
Excessive Smartphone Use Is Associated With Health Problems in Adolescents and Young Adults
Cognitive load theory and educational technology
Active learning narrows achievement gaps for underrepresented students in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math
Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Studies of Inquiry-Based Science Teaching
Meta-Analysis of Inquiry-Based Learning
The Measurement of Observer Agreement for Categorical Data
Project-Based Learning as a Catalyst for Integrated STEM Education
The Equivalence of Weighted Kappa and the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient as Measures of Reliability
The development of scientific thinking skills in elementary and middle school
Phases of inquiry-based learning
Teaching Scientific Practices
Science Education in Three-Part Harmony
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |