Educational experiments with motion simulation programs: can gamification be effective in teaching mechanics?

Abstract

Students in secondary schools are all members of the so-called Z-generation. They grew up using their smartphones, tablets and the Internet. It is an obvious consequence that science teaching should also exploit this spontaneous interest in IT. A possible way to utilize this trend in teaching physics is to use motion simulation programs. These software are designed to simulate real-life physics experiments using realistic two-dimensional visualization, while motion-related data can be read from graphs that are displayed during the motion. The use of such programs can strengthen the previously acquainted knowledge in the topic of kinematics and dynamics, support problem solving skills, or just raise interest in the subject. The most well-known physics simulation software are Algodoo and Physion. A Hungarian company (Intellisense) has also been developing a similar software, FIZIKA with the contribution of our research group that can be used for free in schools and can be easily fit in physics education. In recent years, there has been an increasing amount of literature about the use of physics simulation programs, however no quantitative study has been conducted on how these programs effect student performance. Our research group completed an educational experiment on teaching kinematics involving about 500 students in the autumn of 2016. Half of the students used the simulation software in physics classes and at home, while the other half was the control group. After a few months, their development in the subject was measured with a test and the results showed significant difference between the two groups.