Abstract
The latest National Education Curriculum in Taiwan advocated that schools were required to add hands-on experiments in order to increase students ’interests in scientific learning. It was also recommended that the teaching should aim at cultivating students’ problem-solving abilities, and encouraging them to explore principles of cooperation, thinking, operational skills, and achieving course goals. However, the science curriculum in schools at present was relatively more in didactic teaching. In order to overcome the above dilemma, the authors had developed a online experiment of circuit unit for 9th graders and tried to explore its implementation on the effects in learning physics experiment for junior high school students. There were eighty-three 9th graders selected from three classes of a junior high school located in Taipei City. They were randomly assigned into two groups: 55 students in the experimental group and 28 in the control group. The experimental group conducted experiments with PC VR software, while the control group in a traditional laboratory courses. The results showed significant differences in learning effects including a achievement cognitive test and a worksheet on performing procedural tasks; However, there was no significant difference in the leaning motivation. But, it indicated that students were not afraid of doing experiments anymore, which may suggest VR was great for practicing and honing skills without fear of failure. This study was significant since it provided evidence that the online reality experiment can serve well as an auxiliary teaching material for enhancing effects and interests in a science experiment course.
Presenters
Hsin-Yih Cindy ShyuDistinguished Professor, Dept. of Educational Technology, Tamkang University, Taipei, Taiwan Yuhur Chou
Tungnan University
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
Considering Digital Pedagogies
KEYWORDS
Virtual Reality, Science Education, Virtual Laboratory, Physics Experiment
