Computer Simulations and their Influence on Students' Understanding of Oscillatory Motion

Nowadays, the use of information technology (ICT) in education is nothing new. But the question is where the limit is when the use of ICT does not have the desired effect. In the paper we discuss the use of simulations in the teaching process that can positively influence students’ achievements. At the beginning of the paper we present the results of a research aimed at exploring the impact of the use of computer simulations on secondary school students’ understanding of oscillatory motion. The aim of the research was to explore the effect of the use of simulations on students’ abilities to work with graphs and to find out relevant information. In the conclusion, the possibilities of integration of simulations into the teaching process are discussed.

[1]  Noah S. Podolefsky,et al.  When learning about the real world is better done virtually: A study of substituting computer simulations for laboratory equipment , 2005 .

[2]  Ton de Jong,et al.  Scientific Discovery Learning with Computer Simulations of Conceptual Domains , 1998 .

[3]  Fred Goldberg,et al.  Using Computers to Create Constructivist Learning Environments: Impact on Pedagogy and Achievement , 2003 .

[4]  Jan T. van der Veen,et al.  The learning effects of computer simulations in science education , 2012, Comput. Educ..

[5]  Z. C. Zacharia,et al.  Comparing and combining real and virtual experimentation: an effort to enhance students' conceptual understanding of electric circuits , 2007, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[6]  Z. Zacharia,et al.  The effects of an interactive computer-based simulation prior to performing a laboratory inquiry-based experiment on science teachers' conceptual understanding of physics , 2002 .

[7]  José Cravino,et al.  Contribution of a Computer Simulation to Students’ Learning of the Physics Concepts of Weight and Mass , 2014 .

[8]  Ton de Jong,et al.  Use of Heuristics to Facilitate Scientific Discovery Learning in a Simulation Learning Environment in a Physics Domain , 2006 .

[9]  A. Lazonder,et al.  Unraveling the influence of domain knowledge during simulation-based inquiry learning , 2009 .

[10]  Z. Zacharia,et al.  Physical and Virtual Laboratories in Science and Engineering Education , 2013, Science.

[11]  Athanassios Jimoyiannis,et al.  Computer simulations in physics teaching and learning: a case study on students' understanding of trajectory motion , 2001, Comput. Educ..

[12]  C. E. Wieman,et al.  A research-based curriculum for teaching the photoelectric effect , 2007, 0706.2165.

[13]  T. Jong,et al.  Domains Scientific Discovery Learning with Computer Simulations of Conceptual , 2008 .

[14]  Nicola J. Gibbons,et al.  Computer simulations improve university instructional laboratories. , 2004, Cell biology education.

[15]  Luli Stern,et al.  The Effect of a Computerized Simulation on Middle School Students’ Understanding of the Kinetic Molecular Theory , 2008 .

[16]  Miriam Spodniaková Pfefferová,et al.  Computer Simulations in Mechanics at the Secondary School , 2004, Informatics Educ..