Effectiveness of Virtual Simulations in Improving Secondary Students’ Achievement in Physics: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Physics instruction necessitates innovative strategies that can support students’ achievement. Virtual simulations are digital tools that can offer students with meaningful learning experiences, albeit in an online distance learning setup. This meta-analysis examined the effectiveness of virtual simulations in improving students’ Physics achievement at the secondary level. A meta-analysis guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol was used. Fifteen (15) studies that met the inclusion criteria were included and analyzed. Effect size (Hedges g) was mainly used to determine the magnitude of the effectiveness of virtual simulations. The overall weighted effect size of g = 0.941 suggests that virtual simulations have a significantly large and positive effect on students' achievement in Physics. Moderator analyses revealed that the effectiveness of virtual simulations did not significantly differ based on the region, students’ grade level, and duration of the implementation. However, a significant difference was found among the effect sizes of the individual studies when grouped according to the specific field of Physics. The majority of the virtual simulation tools used were PhET simulations and Crocodile Physics, which were found to be integrated with constructivist instructional strategies that facilitated substantial improvements in students’ achievement. Hence, professional development programs are recommended to further strengthen Physics teachers’ technological and pedagogical knowledge on the effective utilization of virtual simulations to enhance students’ Physics learning.