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David Geelan Griffith University – Gold Coast

Effectiveness of Scientific Visualizations in Year 11 Chemistry and Physics Education. David Geelan Griffith University – Gold Coast. Overview. 12 Chemistry classes and 10 physics classes Comparison of student conceptual knowledge gains when taught with and without visualisations

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David Geelan Griffith University – Gold Coast

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  1. Effectiveness of Scientific Visualizations in Year 11 Chemistry and Physics Education David Geelan Griffith University – Gold Coast

  2. Overview • 12 Chemistry classes and 10 physics classes • Comparison of student conceptual knowledge gains when taught with and without visualisations • Sex of students and academic ability as further variables

  3. Background • Lots of good evidence that students enjoy learning with visualisations • Lots of teachers adopting them, lots of money being spent developing, hosting and sharing them • Not much good quality quantitative evidence of their educational effectiveness, particularly at the high school level

  4. Design • The students completed a pre-test and post-test of conceptual understanding, based on the Force Concept Inventory and the Chemistry Concept Inventory • Multiple-choice items with common student misconceptions as distracters • Cross-over experimental design: students completed one topic with visualisations and one without

  5. Teaching Comparison • Teachers taught the physics and chemistry topics either with or without using scientific visualisations • Non-visualisation cases were not necessarily just lectures, and included demonstrations and other activities • After post-test, most classes did use the visualisations

  6. Examples

  7. Results - Overall • 79 physics, 78 chemistry • 34 male, 123 female • No significant difference • t(512) = -1.48, p = .14

  8. Results - Physics • 80 physics • No significant difference • t(158)=-1.58, p=.116

  9. Results - Chemistry • 129 chemistry • No significant difference • t(256)=-.538, p=.59

  10. Results - Sex • Chemistry: no significant difference • Physics: • significant difference at p<.05 level: (t(78)=2.37, p=.02) • moderate effect size (Cohen’s d=0.54)

  11. Results – Academic Achievement • Chemistry: no significant difference • Physics: no significant difference

  12. Results – Learning Styles • Very small differences noted for physics with a slight advantage for kinesthetic learners (not visual learners) • Construct is very shaky and so was the measurement • Can’t get published with this measure included • Therefore this facet discarded

  13. Conclusion • ‘First, do no harm’: While there were no large benefits for conceptual learning observed, there was also no decrease in conceptual learning • Given the other benefits of student enjoyment and engagement, use of visualisations is probably justified • Excessive effectiveness claims should be avoided

  14. The Next Study • Applying for ARC Discovery grant: If successful study will start in 2013 • Many detail variables in relation to types of visualisations and ways they were used • Still focused on classroom-based research • More qualitative approach to students’ learning/thinking while learning with visualisations

  15. Contact Please do get in touch if you have questions, suggestions, solutions or are doing related work: d.geelan@griffith.edu.au

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