Virtual laboratories: their impact in itudents' achievement in science
Keywords: Virtual Laboratories, Student Achievement, Quasi-Experimental, Effectiveness, Science Topic
Abstract
The use of virtual laboratories is the outcome of the sudden shift in face-to-face to online education as it ensures that students have an opportunity to acquire practical experience independently. This research involved analyzing the effect of virtual laboratories on the grade 10 students regarding their level of performance using a quasi-experimental research design method. The level of performance was in terms of a pretest and posttest that was conducted during the first quarter. The outcomes indicated that the pretest score and posttest score of the respondents were significantly different (p = 0.001). After the addition of the virtual laboratories, the performance of the students changed tremendously, as they have changed to satisfactory (mean score of 7.56) and very satisfactory (mean score of 9.68). The results showed that virtual labs in online courses greatly increased the performance of the students. Besides having an exciting internet game that motivates children to study, virtual laboratories will ensure that students are able to do what they would be doing in the real world at school. Online instructors can use virtual laboratories to make students more interested and knowledgeable with the subject.