The Effect of Using PhET Interactive Simulations on Academic Achievement of Physics Students in Higher Education Institutions
Najeh Rajeh Alsalhi
Department of Education College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE.Abd Al Karim Haj Ismail
College of Humanities and Sciences, Ajman University, Ajman, UAE.Abdellateef Alqawasmi
Department of Postgraduate Professional Diploma in Teaching, Al Ain University, Al Ain, UAE.Atef F. I. Abdelkader
College of Humanities and Sciences, Ajman University, Ajman, UAE.Sami Alqatawneh
Department of Education College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE.Ouazir Salem
College of Humanities and Sciences, Ajman University, Ajman, UAE.Abstract
This research aimed to examine the effects of PhET (originally an acronym for “Physics Education Technology”) Interactive Simulations on the academic achievements of students at higher education levels studying physics. To achieve this aim, a quasi-empirical design was utilized where two groups of students were compared (i.e., the empirical group with N =69 and the control with N=71). Traditional instructional methods were implemented with the control group and experimental groups were taught using PhET Interactive Simulations. The data was analyzed using SPSS. According to findings, the empirical group, where PhET simulators were used, had higher academic scores on average compared to the control group with traditional training methodologies. However, no effect of gender or overall GPA was observed in the academic performance in the empirical group. The study results then portrayed the use of PhET Interactive Simulations for physics education and suggested further research in other science courses.