INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF LABORATORY PRACTICAL WORK ON STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDING SKILLS IN SCIENCE AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL

Abstract

Understanding scientific concepts forms the cognitive foundation of science education, enabling learners to progress from factual recall toward meaningful comprehension. This experimental study examined the effect of structured laboratory practical work on the understanding skills of ninth-grade science students enrolled in public secondary schools in Gujranwala, Pakistan, during the 2023–2024 academic year. A true experimental design was employed using pre- and post-tests to compare an experimental group (n = 15) receiving inquiry-based laboratory instruction with a control group (n = 15) taught through traditional lectures. The curriculum-aligned assessment instrument, developed and validated through expert review, measured conceptual understanding across biology, chemistry, and physics. Statistical analysis using paired and independent-samples t-tests revealed that the experimental group achieved a significantly higher post-test mean (M = 17.13, SD = 2.29) than the control group (M = 12.00, SD = 2.51), t(28) = 8.00, p < .001, with a large effect size (d = 2.04). The findings demonstrate that laboratory practical work substantially enhances students’ conceptual comprehension of scientific principles. The study contributes novel empirical evidence from a developing-country context and underscores the need for curriculum alignment, teacher training, and resource provision to institutionalize laboratory-based pedagogy in secondary science education.