The Lapbook As A Tool For Enhancing Students’ Cognitive Activity In Science Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55640/eijp-05-11-15Keywords:
Lapbook, cognitive activity, generative learningAbstract
Active, generative engagement is a decisive predictor of learning gains in science education, yet many university methods courses still rely on transmissive routines that leave pre-service teachers as passive recipients of information. This paper investigates the lapbook—a student-constructed, interactive folder composed of flaps, pockets, and mini-books—as a low-cost, high-structure medium for orchestrating cognitive activity in natural science lessons. Drawing on constructivism, multimedia learning, cognitive load theory, and generative learning, we propose a mechanism by which lapbooks coordinate dual coding, elaboration, self-explanation, retrieval practice, and metacognitive monitoring. We then report a quasi-experimental study with 120 second-year pedagogical university students enrolled in a science methods course. An eight-week intervention contrasted lapbook-centered lessons with business-as-usual workbook activities. Outcomes included a Cognitive Activity in Science Scale (CASS), a performance-based project rubric, a delayed retention test, and systematic classroom observations. Compared with controls, the lapbook group demonstrated significantly greater post-intervention cognitive activity (CASS M = 3.82 vs. 3.33 on a 5-point scale; t(118) = 6.40, p < .001, d = 1.17), higher transfer and self-regulation subscale scores, improved project quality, and stronger four-week retention (78.4% vs. 69.1%). Observational evidence indicated sustained time-on-task and more frequent student-initiated explanations. We interpret these effects as the result of structured generative production coupled with externalized knowledge organization that lightens extraneous load while enriching semantic networks. The paper concludes with design principles for integrating lapbooks into methods courses and school placements, limitations concerning instructor fidelity and measurement generalizability, and implications for pre-service teacher preparation in inquiry-oriented science.
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