Implementing a blended combination of physical and virtual laboratory manipulatives to enhance students’ learning through experimentation in the domain of Light and Color

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a particular framework that portrays how Physical Manipulatives (PM) and Virtual Manipulatives (VM) could be combined in order to have a positive effect on students’ learning through experimentation. In doing so, we created blended combinations according to this framework and investigated whether their use is more conducive to student’s learning in the domain of Light and Color than the use of VM and PM alone. A pre-post comparison study design was used that involved 114 undergraduate students, enrolled in an introductory physics course that was based upon the Physics by Inquiry curriculum. The participants were randomly separated into three groups, each corresponding to one of the study’s conditions: use of Virtual Manipulatives (VM) alone, use of Physical Manipulatives (PM) alone, and use of a combination of PM and VM. The first group (Control Group 1) was assigned 42 students to use PM, the second group (Control Group 2) was assigned 36 students to use VM, and the third group (Experimental Group) was assigned 36 students to use a blended combination of PM and VM. Conceptual tests were administered to assess students’ understanding before, during and after instruction. The data collected through the tests were analyzed quantitatively. Findings revealed that experimenting with a blended combination of PM and VM enhanced students’ conceptual understanding more than experimenting with PM or VM alone. No differences were found between PM and VM.