In my master’s thesis I investigated how different types of homework, in particular homework involving the use of PhET (Physics Education Technology) computer simulations, affect the motivation to submit the homework and performance in solving the homework. The affordances of PhET simulations allow students to learn about the physics process in ways that are interesting to them. The constraints of the simulations guide them towards the learning objectives and can prevent aimless playing with the simulation.
I participated in the study as a teacher with four high school classes. The students solved three traditional homework problems and one test homework problem. In the test homework, students had to write a physics problem related to a horizontal throw, which had to include a PhET simulation, and solve the task. The control group was requested to do the same, except without including the PhET simulation. In the study, I collected and compared data on the frequency and performance of all tasks. For the test group, I also collected and analysed data on the performer of the horizontal throw, the subject of the horizontal throw, and the choice of input data and quantities that need to be calculated. This allowed me to analyse the effect of the PhET simulation on the context, on motivation to submit the homework and on performance in solving the homework.
The results showed that more students submitted the test homework than the traditional homework, and students were also more successful in solving the test homework. The use of the PhET simulation did not affect performance, but it affected the context of the homework.
The influence of the constraints of the simulation was evident in the choice of quantities that student choose to calculate, while the affordances of the simulation allowed students to include physical quantities and phenomena in the problems that go beyond the horizontal throw topic and would never have been included without the use of the simulation (e.g. changing the launch angle, gravitational acceleration different from that at Earth's surface, and the presence of air drag).
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