The Value of Science Projects

Nida J. Cayabyab
Teacher III
Payas Elementary School
Sta. Barbra II, Pangasinan I

Science projects are an especially effective way of teaching students about the world
around them. Whether conducted in the classroom or for a science fair, science projects can
help develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. In a classroom setting, science
projects offer a way for teachers to put “action” into the lessons. The students have fun while
they’re learning important knowledge and skills. And the teacher often learns with the
students, experiencing excitement with each new discovery. Science projects are generally of
two types: non-experimental and experimental. Non-experimental projects usually reflect what
the student has read or heard about in an area of science. By creating displays or collections of
scientific information or demonstrating certain natural phenomena, the student goes through a
process similar to a library research report or a meta-analysis in any other subject. Projects of
this type may be appropriate for some students at a very early level, but they usually do not
provide the experiences that develop problem-solving skills related to the scientific process. On
the other hand, experimental projects pose a question, or hypothesis, which is then answered
by doing an experiment or by modeling a phenomenon. The question doesn’t have to be
something never before answered by scientist—that is not necessary to conduct original
research. The process of picking a topic, designing an experiment, and recording and analyzing
data is what’s important.

Consequently, this book focuses on the experimental project. Teachers can use
classroom projects several different ways. Sometimes it’s appropriate for the whole class to
work together; other times students can work in groups or individually. The decision depends
on the capabilities of the students, how the experimental results are to be used, and the
imagination of the teacher. In any case, the project should follow the scientific method and the
students should all maintain laboratory notebooks and prepare final written and/or oral reports
for the class. Many of the ideas contained in this book will also be suitable for individual
projects at science fairs and conventions. In these situations, students are generally expected
to work independently and produce a written report and a display for the fair as the final
products. There are a number of good references on the process of preparing projects for
science fairs. References are listed in each chapter.

The Value of Science Projects Nida J. Cayabyab Teacher III Payas Elementary
School Sta. Barbra II, Pangasinan I Science projects are an especially
effective way of teaching students about the world around them. Whether
conducted in the classroom or for a science fair, science projects can help
develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. In a classroom setting,
science projects offer a way for teachers to put “action” into the lessons.
The students have fun while they’re learning important knowledge and skills.
And the teacher often learns with the students, experiencing excitement with
each new discovery. Science projects are generally of two types: non-
experimental and experimental. Non-experimental projects usually reflect what
the... (only first 800 chars shown)
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