The effect of 6th grade virtual laboratory applications on density subject on academic achievement, attitude and retention

This study aims to investigate the effect of virtual laboratory activities on 6th grade students' academic achievement, attitudes towards science courses and retention of knowledge on the subject of "density". The research was conducted using a quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest experimental-control group. The sample of the study consisted of 48 students studying in the 6th grade of Arif Nihat Asya Secondary School in Elazığ city centre. The sample was determined by convenience sampling method. Two different measurement tools, "Density Subject Academic Achievement Test" and "Attitude Scale towards Science" were used in the study. The research was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, "Density Subject Academic Achievement Test" and "Attitude Scale towards Science Course" were applied to the students as pre-test. According to the results, the groups were randomly divided into two as control and experimental groups. The experimental group carried out interactive activities in accordance with the unit objectives with the "Phet" simulation application. In the control group, lessons were taught with traditional methods. In the second phase of the study, after the four-week implementation period, "Density Subject Academic Achievement Test" and "Attitude Scale towards Science Course" were re-applied to both groups and the effects of the teaching activities on the academic achievement and attitudes of the students were examined. Four weeks after the end of the application, the academic achievement test was reapplied to both groups as a retention test. The data obtained were analysed using SPSS 22.0 package programme. In the study, the equivalence of the experimental and control groups was determined by Analysis of Multiple Variables (MANOVA). No significant difference was found between the pre-test scores. Before applying MANCOVA, basic assumptions such as normal distribution of the data were checked and found to be met. MANOVA was again used to analyse the difference between the post-test scores. In addition, two-factor mixed measures ANOVA was preferred to analyse the academic achievement test scores. The effect of the applied methods on retention was analysed by two-factor ANOVA. As a result of the research, it was observed that there was a statistically and practically significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of the post-test scores of YKABT and FYTÖ. The mean scores of the experimental group students were higher than those of the control group. This shows that virtual laboratory applications are an effective tool in increasing the academic achievement of secondary school students in density. On the other hand, there was no statistical difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of retention test scores. This finding shows that virtual laboratory applications have a similar effect on the retention of the learned information with traditional learning methods. Key Words: Academic Achievement, Attitude, Retention, Virtual Laboratory, Science Education, Density