The Effectiveness of Virtual Laboratories for Teaching Physics Experiments in a Saudi Secondary School

Abstract

Critical issues identified as barriers to teaching physics experiments in Saudi Arabia include the lack of laboratory equipment, insufficient funds to buy items for every student, and the dangers associated with performing particular experiments. Consequently, Saudi students typically learn by theoretical means, rather than by applying their knowledge practically. Recently, Virtual Laboratory (VL) has become a popular educational tool used widely in schools, as it can be delivered via a variety of software, such as the Physics Education Technology (PhET) program. However, at present, the specialised utilities of VLs are rarely utilised to teach physics experiments at the secondary school level in Saudi Arabia. To address this, the current study examines how PhET is being used to allow students to participate in experiments via a computer and a projector that displays physics experiments on an Interactive Whiteboard (IWB). The aim being to investigate the effectiveness and potential of VL for teaching physics experiments in Saudi secondary schools. This research studied the use of PhET simulations to teach physics experiments as a strategy to develop students’ knowledge and practical skills. To achieve this, it employed a convergent parallel mixed method design to interpret findings collected from interviews and pre-, post-, and delayed post-tests. The data was collected at a boys’ secondary school over a period of two months. The participants were a physics teacher and 40 students. The datasets were collected simultaneously, but analysed independently, and a mixed methods approach employed. Data relating to the students’ academic achievements and knowledge was collected via pre-, post-, and delayed post-tests. The qualitative strand of the study demonstrated the participants’ perspectives regarding the benefits and drawbacks of the software used, based on data collected in interviews with students after the physics teacher had introduced PhET in the classroom. Statistical and thematic analyses were carried out to further assess the data. The qualitative results indicated thatPhET offers opportunities for students to accrue educational benefits by conducting physics experiments via VL. The students were also observed to become more participatory and interactive when the teacher used the PhET program. The quantitative findings also revealed a significant enhancement in the knowledge of those students taught using the PhET program relative to the control group. The results obtained from the different components of the study were combined to answer the main research question, which suggests PhET has a positive impact on students’ knowledge. Although the study’s findings suggest the students may have failed to develop certain practical skills, PhET provided them with adequate information regarding how experiments work, including key safety aspects of experimentation. However, for maximum benefit, the study recommends integrating both VL and real world labs to teach physics experiments.