IMPACT OF VISUALIZATION ON TEACHING AND LEARNING PHYSICS AT SECONDARY SCHOOL LEVEL
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v0i0.1621Keywords:
visualization, representations, model, physics education, assessmentAbstract
There involves an overt component of visualization in physics and helping students to visualize the needed areas in physics using suitable external representations is a way to strengthen students’ familiarity with the visualization aspect embedded therein. This study is a field experiment made around evaluating the effectiveness of emphasizing the visualization aspect in two secondary school physics lessons, kinematics and Newton’s laws of motion, by way of utilizing the visual mode of external representation in the form of computer aided learning materials such as suitable diagrams shown through computer screen, video clips, animations and simulations. A pre-test and post-test experimental design was used in the study by getting the participation of 184 secondary school students (grade 10) in three government schools in Sri Lanka. A physics test capable of assessing students’ attainment in visualizing the identified areas in the two lessons called Visualization Related Physics Test (VRPT) which is a lesson specific assessment tool was developed. The VRPT is a reliable instrument which showed acceptable Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.711. The experimental group has shown an overall gain of about 14% at post-test administration of VRPT compared to the pre-test administration whereas the corresponding gain in the control group was about 1%. The students’ view on the approach was evaluated using a questionnaire and their views were favorable. It is concluded in this study that emphasizing the visualization aspect at classroom teaching by paying a deliberate attention can be used as a remedial measure for improving students’ physics performance.
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