Throughout what is now just over half a century since Armstrong walked on the moon many within the science education community continue to believe that the use of practical work constituted an essential tool for the teaching and learning of science. Its use, they claim, not only develops students’ understanding of scientific concepts and practical skills but also nurtures essential life skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork. Interestingly, and despite such widely shared enduring beliefs, there is surprisingly little research evidence to support such claims, or to show that it has, as many have also claimed, an enduring motivational value. At a more fundamental level, although the term ‘practical skills’ has been frequently referred to throughout the history of its use within school laboratories, what these skills actually are, and how they might, most effectively, be validly assessed, remains unclear. Given that, as Hodson (1991) claimed, “as practiced in many countries, it [practical work] is ill-conceived, confused and unproductive. For many children, what goes on in the laboratory contributes little to their learning of science” (p. 176), this chapter critically compares and contrasts beliefs about the effectiveness and affective value of practical work in schools with the available research evidence.