Blended Physics Laboratory Experiments and Teacher Education Students' Learning of Electricity and Magnetism
| dc.contributor.advisor | Shimeles Assefa (Prof.) | |
| dc.contributor.author | Zemenu Mihret | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-02-05T11:58:39Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-02-05T11:58:39Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2023-07 | |
| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of blended physics laboratory experiments on teacher education students' conceptual understanding, understanding of the nature of science, and attitude toward physics laboratory experiments in a laboratory course that included concepts of electricity and magnetism. The study used a non-randomized quasi-experimental mixed methods design with pretest-posttest. It comprised a total of 63 per-service physics teachers enrolled at three colleges of teacher education, with 16 in the blended experiment group, 26 in the virtual experiment group, and 21 in the real experiment group. The first treatment group used a blend of real and virtual experiments; the second treatment group solely used virtual experiments; and the comparison group exclusively used real experiments. With the exception of the type of manipulative utilized, similar experiments from the physics laboratory course were taught to all three conditions using a guided inquiry-based approach. Conceptual understanding test for electricity and magnetism, understanding of the nature of science questionnaires, and attitudes towards physics laboratory questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data. Besides, qualitative data were gathered from participants on their opinions regarding the instructional strategies, the mode of physics laboratory experiments, and potential enhancements. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, and thematic analysis. Results showed that blended experiments significantly improved students' attitudes towards physics laboratories, while virtual modes of laboratory experiments promoted conceptual understanding. Despite slight mean differences in favor of the treatments, there was no significant difference in understanding of the aspects of nature of science between the treatment and comparison groups. The majority of participants preferred blended and virtual modes of experimentation over real ones, despite some participants raising concerns about access to computers, additional software training, and more practice time. The efficacy of the various modes of physics laboratory experiments could depend on factors other than the media per se, such as the type of instructional strategy, curricular materials, and additional learning time. It is recommended that further study be done using different methodologies on the efficacy of different modes of experimentation to resolve conflicting results and produce optimal learning. Keywords: Attitude towards physics laboratory, Blended laboratory experiment, Conceptual understanding, Electricity and magnetism, Understanding of the nature of science | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/1690 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Addis Ababa University | |
| dc.title | Blended Physics Laboratory Experiments and Teacher Education Students' Learning of Electricity and Magnetism | |
| dc.type | Thesis |