Computer-Simulated Experiments and Senior Secondary Students’ Achievement in Practical Physics in Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of computer-simulated experiments on Senior Secondary two students’ achievement in practical physics. Three research questions and four hypotheses guided the quasiexperimentally designed study. A sample of 334 senior secondary two physics students purposively selected from 9 schools that offer physics in education zone A of Benue State and randomly assigned into Computer-Simulated Experiment (CSE), Computer-Simulated Experiment/Traditional Laboratory Experiment (CTE) and Traditional Laboratory Experiment (TLE) groups was used. Practical Physics Achievement Test (PPAT) with reliability coefficients of 0.83 was used to collect data from the subjects on achievement in practical physics. Data for answering research questions were analyzed using Means and Standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested with results from Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at 0.05. The findings revealed that there was a significant difference in the mean Practical Physics achievement F (2, 327) = 4.142, P < 0.05 of students exposed to CSE, CTE and TLE, with the CTE group achieving significantly higher than CSE and TLE group. On the basis of gender there were no significant differences both for CSE and CTE groups in practical achievement (FCSE [1, 114] = 1.089 and FCTE [1, 98] = 2.599, P > 0.05). Furthermore, the study revealed no significant interaction effect of method of practical instruction and gender on students’ practical achievement in physics. It was therefore recommended among other things that physics teachers should be encouraged to use the CSE strategy in order to provide alternative to the challenge of no equipment in practical lessons in physics.

Keywords: Computer Simulated Experiments, Practical in Physics, Achievement in Practical Physics, Teaching Physics