Effectiveness of interactive simulation in improving the performance in science of the grade 8 students of Occidental Mindoro State Collage
Keywords:
Physics education technology (PhET) simulation, conventional teaching strategy, interactive simulation teaching strategyAbstract
This study evaluates the effectiveness of interactive simulations, specifically Physics Education Technology (PhET) simulations, in teaching science. PhET simulations are offline applications designed to provide dynamic and engaging representations to enhance student learning.
A quasi-experimental design was employed, utilizing a pre-test and post-test approach with the DepEd Science 8 self-learning module (SLM) in the Caraga Region. The study involved 50 Grade 8 students from Occidental Mindoro State College during the 2022-2023 academic year. Students were divided into two groups: one experienced conventional teaching methods, while the other used interactive simulations. Both groups participated in two learning sessions and then completed a test on the particle nature of matter.
The test results indicated that the performance of students in both the conventional and interactive simulation groups was comparable. Statistical analysis showed no significant difference between the two groups' scores, suggesting that both teaching methods were equally effective in helping students understand the subject matter.
The study finds that interactive simulations and conventional teaching methods yield similar outcomes in terms of student understanding. Despite the engaging nature of interactive simulations, they did not demonstrate a significant advantage over conventional methods. This suggests that both approaches are effective and may be used interchangeably or in combination to support science education.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Hydee De Torres, Angel Elaine Bacani, Maria Elaine M. Colesio, Sheena G. Marigmen, Jezzel Keyt O. Quimoyog, Rica Abigail T. Dagos (Author)

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