Uncovering hidden dimensions of meaningful learning in the laboratory

Meaningful laboratory learning is a multidimensional process encompassing cognitive, affective, and social dimensions that standardised self-report instruments may only partially capture. This mixed-methods study investigated the laboratory learning experiences of first-year preservice chemistry teachers in the Czech Republic (N = 60), combining a Czech adaptation of the Meaningful Learning in the Laboratory Instrument (MLLI) with a thematic analysis of 16 semi-structured interviews. The Czech MLLI showed acceptable reliability and reproduced structural patterns reported in prior research. Pre–post comparisons indicated a recalibration of students' expectations: affective outcomes improved, whereas cognitive self-assessments declined, suggesting metacognitive adjustment during authentic laboratory engagement rather than diminished learning. Interview data revealed additional dimensions extending beyond the instrument's construct boundaries, including the temporally distributed development of conceptual understanding, the role of social support and instructional guidance, and organisational conditions shaping epistemic engagement. Based on these findings, we propose a Contextually and Temporally Mediated Model of Meaningful Laboratory Learning, which positions cognitive, affective, and conative processes as embedded within social and organisational conditions and subject to metacognitive recalibration over time. The findings provide a more nuanced conceptualisation of meaningful laboratory learning and illustrate the value of mixed-methods approaches in chemistry teacher education.