Abstract
The cutting-edge technology of virtual reality has changed almost every aspect of life in e-commerce, engineering, medicine, and entertainment. This technology has also made its way to the field of education in the form of virtual laboratories. A lack of student engagement and interest towards STEM subjects is reported in the literature. Several studies have been conducted to evaluate virtual reality in education, but these studies are limited in terms of participants and subject coverage. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of virtual laboratories to develop student’s practical learning skills for secondary school physics. For this purpose, a desktop-based virtual laboratory application was developed based on the guidelines extracted from the literature. A user study was adopted as the main research method, and it was conducted with 184 students of 4 different schools. In each school, students were divided into two groups: experimental (used the virtual laboratory application) and control (used a physical laboratory). The data were collected through an academic quiz conducted at the end of the study. The mean score of the experimental group was 7.16, compared with 5.87 for the control group. The results revealed that the students’ learning using the virtual laboratory application was better compared with the control group. Interestingly, there was no significant difference in the performance of boys and girls in both groups. The usability questionnaire was also completed by 92 students of the experimental group to assess the application interface. The mean score was 73.5 (above average) with an internal consistency of 0.76. The participants found the virtual laboratory application to be user-friendly, easy to use, and supportive in learning.
Highlights
IntroductionThe curriculum of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects (e.g., chemistry, physics, mathematics, and biology) of secondary school education makes students creative thinkers and problem solvers and increases their scientific literacy [1]
The curriculum of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects of secondary school education makes students creative thinkers and problem solvers and increases their scientific literacy [1].Many students show less interest in these subjects because they find them boring and too difficult [2]
This paper reports a user study conducted with secondary school students to evaluate the effectiveness of a virtual laboratory in learning physics concepts
Summary
The curriculum of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects (e.g., chemistry, physics, mathematics, and biology) of secondary school education makes students creative thinkers and problem solvers and increases their scientific literacy [1]. Many students show less interest in these subjects because they find them boring and too difficult [2]. Due to this reason, students do not actively participate in class and fail to show good performance in these subjects [3]. STEM education needs advancements to be more effective for students in building interest toward their learning. This can be achieved by upgrading teaching methods with technology like virtual reality (VR).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
