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Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 1 (2009) 24702474

World Conference Education Science 2009

The investigation of the effect of simulation based teaching on the

student achievement and attitude in electrostatic induction
Ersen rka*, Remziye Ergl b
b

a, *
Davut Drtelik Elementary School, Bursa, 16200 ,Turkey
Ulluda University Elementary Education Department, Bursa, 16120, Turkey

Received October 20, 2008; revised December 11, 2008; accepted January 02, 2009

Abstract
New software have been developed in educational environments with the continuously development of technology. This software
was improved teaching together with student interaction. Simulation was using effective to describe abstract concept in Science
Education which learners are in intensive interaction. The aim of this study was to investigate effect of simulation based teaching
on the student achievement and attitude which subject of electrostatic induction. For this purpose, control (2 class, 57 person) and
experiment ( 2 class, 59 person) groups were determined. During the 5 lesson period, experiment group were held with the
simulation. After the study, it was found that simulations have improved students success on subject of induction and there is a
significant difference between experimental and control groups. On the other hand, using simulation did not indicate a significant
effect on students attitudes in this study.

Keywords: Simulations; electrostatic induction; science education.

1. Introduction
New materials have been developed permanently to ensure more efficient education in the educational
environments. Technological developments have also directed for developing these materials. This period of time
which arrive information and communication technologies, the process of developing materials have added richness
with the using of computers in the educational environment. In the materials which are prepared at computer field,
the visual and acoustic components has represent to the students as a whole and that provides to the students more
interaction to the other materials. To raise the interaction between material and the student, have to need prepared
developing and effective materials. The simulations which has been prepared with this way, compose more real
environment, also they have provided to visualizing the events which impossible to see and ensured the students the
learning by doing and living experience education situations. Simulation based teaching are to be effective as more
interesting and motivating than many other methodologies, a better usage of computer technology and learning in
the real world. Simulations divide into the two groups according to whether their main educational objective is to

E-mail address: ergulr@uludag.edu.tr

1877-0428 2009 Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2009.01.434

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teach about something or to teach how to do something. The about something group subdivided into two
subcategories, physical and iterative simulations. In physical simulations a physical object or phenomenon is
represented on the screen, giving the user an opportunity to learn about it. In iterative the learner runs the simulation
over and over, selecting values for various parameters at the beginning of each runs. In procedural simulations is to
teach a sequence of actions to accomplish some goal. In situational simulations, learners are encouraged to explore
alternatives and see their effects even when there are preferred procedural paths (Alessi, 2001). Simulations are
effected method for motivate students as well as its reduce problem which using real material in education. Chang,
Lin & Sung (2008) list in order to use simulations at education fields; providing background-knowledge, helping
learners to make hypotheses, conduct experiments, interpret data and regulate the learning process. Abstract
concepts have more effective learned in simulation based learning. Most of research showed that students were not
understood the abstract concepts like heat, light, electricity, magnetism which encounter in Science Education
(Eylon & Ganiel, 1990; Welzel, 1998). Electrostatic induction which included electricity subject is difficult concept
to learn in Science Education. According to Akdeniz, Bekta & Yiit(2000) most of the students were not
understand the related concepts of electricity. Students have comprised misconceptions easily in the learning
electrostatic induction concept. Conceptual change texts (Baer & Geban, 2007), analogies (Heywood, 1997) and
predict-observe-explain strategies which using mental process (Borges, 1999) were used for change this
misconceptions. Furthermore, spatial ability was effected factor in the conceptual learning (Yang & Andre 2003).
These findings indicated that the textbooks used for traditional methods and materials are not very effective to learn
these concepts. Findings also showed that in order to overcome these deficiencies, the materials that were prepared
in the study are required to support students spatial thinking skills. The purpose of this study is to investigate into
the views of difference, student achievement and attitude between traditional teaching and simulation based teaching
in Science Education. For this purpose, the following sub-problems were determined:
1.

Are there any meaning differences about student achievement between experimental group and control
group?

2.

Are there any meaning differences about student attitude between pre-test and post-test for experimental
and control group?

2. Method
The study employed pre-test and post-test with control group model. Analysis of covariance was used to compare
between pre-test and post-test. One sample t test was used to analyze the data collected for the students attitude
toward the science method course. The sample of the research was a total of 116 seventh class student during the
2008- 2009 educational year, 59 students in experimental group, 57 students in control group. In the study, academic
achievement test which include 36 questions was developed in order to evaluate students achievement. Results of
the item analysis, KR-20 reliability coefficients were found as .92 and after that test is divided two parts as pre-test
(18 items) and post-test (18 items). Each items in the tests were scored 1 point when responded truly. The scale
used before and after the study for both experimental and control groups was implemented to determine students
attitudes toward science course was developed by bk(2006) and he found the reliability coefficient as .92. The
study has carried out over duration of 5 periods. Before the commencement of the experiment, a Science Education
attitude scale and the electrostatic induction preliminary achievement test were conducted on all students. During the
study, simulation used for teaching at 3 periods with the experimental group, student studying with the simulation at
1 class period in the computer laboratory and summarized their learning on simulation at last 1 period. Control
group studied with the traditional method. When the instructions have been completed, a final achievement test has
been carried out and repeated the attitude test. SPSS package program has been utilized in the investigation to
determine any significant differences between preliminary and the final tests. Simulations that used in study were
developed by investigators. Simulations that related atomic structure, electrical charge, electrification were prepared
according the aim of study. Physical simulations were developed using 3Ds Max, Macromedia Director Mx and
Macromedia Flash Mx software. A web page prepared for the students access to simulations. Simulations prepared
3D animation form, therefore students studied with simulations like a real world. Total six simulations were present
to students. Some screenshot examples were given in figure 1-2.

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Figure 1. Screenshot of the atomic structure simulation software

Figure 2. Screenshot of the electrostatic induction simulation software

3. Findings
The first question was are there any meaning differences about student achievement between experimental group
and control group? results are given in table 1 and table 2.
Table 1. Descriptive statistics according to post-test

Experimental Group
Control Group

N
59
57

Mean
.49
.35

Revised Mean
.48
.36

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Pre-test means computed for experimental group (.32) and control group(.30). Table 1 indicates the revised mean
which regarding the pre-test. Table 2 indicates the results of the analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) on the
dependent variable which was the post-test scores and the covariate which were the pre-test score.
Table 2. Anova source table of the post-test scores by treatment

Source
Pre-test

Type III Sum of Squares

0,72702

df
1

Mean Square
0,727

F
25,08

P
.000*

Groups

0,45640

0,456

15,74

.000*

Error

3,27492

113

0,028

Total

4,54384

115

p < ,001

This result showed that there was a statistically significant difference between post-test scores of students in the
experimental group and control group. (F=15,74, p<0.001)
The second question was are there any meaning differences about student attitude between pre-test and post-test
for experimental and control group? Attitude scale towards science method course was administered experimental
and control groups in the beginning and end of the study. Table 3 indicates the results of one sample t test analyses
of experimental groups students attitude toward science method course between pre-test and post-test.
Table 3. T-test analysis of experimental groups students attitude toward science method course
N

Std. Deviation

Pre-test

59

3,946

0,79

Post-test

59

3,948

0,78

df

115

-0,16

.98

p > ,05

There are no significant differences between pre-test and post-test for experimental group (t= -0,16 ,
p=0.98>0.05). Table 4 indicates the results of one sample t test analyses of control groups students attitude toward
science method course between pre-test and post-test.
Table 4. T-test analysis of control groups students attitude toward science method course
N

Std. Deviation

Pre-test

57

4,303

0,46

Post-test

57

4,407

0,47

df

112

-1,18

.24

p > ,05

There are no significant differences between pre-test and post-test for control group (t= -1,18 , p=0.24>0.05).
4. Conclusion and Discussion
Succeed at in science is especially good at spatial thinking, it is not only way to solve a problem (Baker and
Piburn, 1996). Abstract concepts were difficult to learn in science education. Student supported with pictures in the
books and laboratory experiment for learning this concepts. Concepts have been transferred to student just single
dimension using the pictures in the books. Also students can observe experiment results in the laboratory. Students
can electrify the materials in experiment and observed charged material effect each other in learning electrostatic
induction subject. But they can not imagined charge and moving charge in their mind. Simulations that prepared
according to educational program help to the students for learning based on subject. So that students spatial abilities
supported for explain this concept. In this study that were held with the 7th grade student, pre-test that using for

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computing students achievement score in common for experimental and control groups. This score was indicating
students information like each other before the study. According to the findings, it was found the average score for
experimental group on students achievement is significantly higher than control group. It shows learning
performance was better when using simulations in education than traditional education. Simulation based learning
was increasingly effected student learning (Akgl et al., 2008; Aycan et al., 2002; Kumar and Sherwood, 2007).
Simulations facilitated to students concept learning in Science Education (Stern, Barnea & Shauli, 2008). This
findings is also supported from Chang et al.(2008). Finding nonsignificant difference on the students attitudes
towards science methods course could be explained by limiting the studying methods with one course and the time
that was spent for studying for this course.
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