Enhancing Understanding of Challenging Chemistry and Physics Concepts in Secondary Schools of Kayonza District through Computer Simulation-Based Learning

Abstract

The study addressed misconceptions in physics and chemistry among 142 chemistry students, 134 physics students, and 12 teachers." Researchers used a mixed research design, including interviews, questionnaires, and achievement tests, to collect data. Before the intervention, focus group interviews with teachers identified challenging topics, and students took pre-tests to assess their prior understanding. Quantitative data from questionnaires were analyzed descriptively, and achievement test data were analyzed using Multivariate Analysis of Variance. Qualitative data from interviews and open-ended questionnaires were interpreted and analyzed descriptively. The results indicated that simulation-based learning effectively reduced the abstract nature of physics and chemistry concepts. Significant improvements were observed in both subjects' mean scores between pre-and post-tests, with post-test results showing a clear advantage. Gender analysis revealed a significant difference in favor of male chemistry students, while no significant difference was found in physics. Qualitative findings showed that teachers positively viewed simulation-based learning for teaching physics and chemistry. In conclusion, the study recommends integrating simulation-based learning in secondary school chemistry and physics teaching to enhance students' conceptual understanding. This research contributes valuable insights into the effective use of simulations to address misconceptions and improve learning outcomes in physics and chemistry. Keywords: Simulation-based learning, Chemistry, Physics, Positive impression, Challenging topics, Conceptual understanding.