Speaker
Description
Both practical lab work and the use of animations are considered effective ways to actively engage pupils in physics lessons. Many studies focus on identifying and describing the benefits of these methods in comparison with traditional instruction. The aim of this contribution is to directly compare these two approaches in terms of their impact on pupils’ interest and conceptual understanding.
For the purpose of this study, we developed a teaching sequence focused on a conceptually rich and simultaneously challenging area of physics – thermal conductivity. The sequence was designed for lower-secondary education and structured as a 45-minute small-group activity for half of a class (i.e., around 15 pupils), supervised by a lecturer or teacher. To compare the two instructional approaches, we created two versions of the sequence, each with analogously structured worksheets.
The first version was adapted for practical work with infrared thermal cameras, where each pupil group worked with its own camera and a set of simple equipment to conduct experiments and take measurements. The second version employed an animation-based learning approach, where each group used a school tablet or their own smartphones to manipulate four animations, specifically created for this research using the Energy2D modelling tool.
The study was conducted with more than 200 eighth-grade Czech pupils (aged 14–15) from four different elementary schools. These pupils completed questionnaires at three different time points: (1) Pre-test: Before the activity, they answered four conceptual questions taken from the Thermal Concept Evaluation tool. (2) Immediate post-activity assessment: Directly after the activity, they assessed their situational interest using selected items from the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory. (3) Post-test: Three to four weeks later, pupils answered the same conceptual questions as in the pre-test.
Initial results indicate that pupils’ situational interest was significantly higher for practical work with thermal imaging cameras (t(244)=7.10, p<0.001, d=0.905). Conceptual understanding improved significantly in both instructional approaches (d=0.640 for thermal cameras and d=0.755 for animations). The difference in conceptual gains among the two approaches was minor, and if any difference existed, it slightly favoured the animation-based learning approach. In this contribution, we will present the developed teaching materials along with more detailed results.
| Contribution categories - primary focus | Primary and secondary school |
|---|---|
| Contribution categories - type | Research oriented |