The influence of a virtual physics experiment learning environment on grade 9 students' motivation towards physics learning

Abstract

<p><a>Experiments are essential in learning physics to help students comprehend abstract concepts, and scientific inquiry is a key learning process when students conduct physics experiments. However, the outdatedness and inadequacies of experimental equipment could negatively affect the learning effectiveness of real physics experiments. Recent research has pointed out that virtual physics experiments could compensate for the insufficiencies of real experiment equipment. Although studies had explored whether virtual physics experiments could affect students’ learning motivation, they showed </a><a>inconclusive</a> results. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the influence of a virtual physics experiment learning environment on the physics learning motivation of Grade 9 students, using quantitative (embedded quasi-experimental design) and qualitative (student interviews) research methods. Participants of this research were two Grade 9 classes divided into an experimental group (<em>n </em>= 37) and a control group (<em>n</em> = 37). The intervention lasted for three weeks, with one 45-minute physics experiment class per week. Learning motivation was measured by the Physics Learning Motivation Test (McAuley, Duncan, & Tammen, 1989; Yin, Goh, & Yang, 2020), which includes dimensions like interest-enjoyment, tension-pressure, perceived choice, perceived competence, and perceived value. Based on the data analysis from the pre-test, post-test, and interview, <a>we found that the virtual experiment learning environment significantly increased students’ learning motivation, especially for the perceived value dimension. Moreover, students who perceived a higher level of competence in the virtual environment were more likely to appreciate its value and utilize virtual experiments again, as evidenced by student interviews. We hope that the implications of this study and intervention design can be a reference for researchers, learning designers and teachers in incorporating virtual experiments in future physics education and provide a possible solution for conducting physics lessons when it is difficult to conduct the face-to-face lesson.</a> More in-depth teacher interviews are recommended to investigate the issues from their angles, especially the pedagogical perspectives.</p>