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intended to determine difference in performance when comparing males and females using the simulated experimentation in the learning of volume displacement concept. They reported that there was no significant difference in performance when comparing males and females and the simulated laboratory experiences were less time-consuming than real laboratory experiences, since the use of simulations make both students and teachers concentrate on the experiment rather than on the equipment. Then, for providing practical experiments, the use of computer simulations was found to be more advantageous than the real equipments with regard to time-consuming.

Hofstein and Lunetta (2004) described the modification of resources, methodologies for research and assessment in science laboratory in the last 20 years; through 1982 to 2003. In their context analysis study, they focused on the school laboratories considering contemporary practices and scholarship and emphasized on the technological developments of resources and standards in laboratories in the past 20 years. They stated that however the technology changed the application procedures of laboratory work in the 20 years; both hands-on laboratory and computer simulated laboratory experimentations always show a measurable advantage on development of students’ laboratory manipulative skills.

On the other hand, Finkelstein et al. (2005) explored the outcomes of alternative use of computer simulations as a laboratory tool in the second semester of a large-scale introductory physics course. They formed a direct current laboratory to observe two groups of students; the students in the experimental group used a computer simulation that is related with an electron flow modeling, and the students in control group used real equipments to conduct the same experiment. They found that simulated experimentation is more beneficial than hands-on experimentation to improve students’ manipulative skills in physics education. Like Choi and Gennaro (1987), Finkelstein et al. (2005) agreed that the use of simulations increase the understanding of students by focusing attention on the experiment rather than on the equipment.

Summary

In this section, I reviewed the effectiveness of using computer simulated experimentations in promoting students’ conceptual understanding in physics education, by searching previous studies in this field from the literature. I saw that computer simulations are an effective tool to support physics learning and simulation supported physics learning and instruction promotes deep understanding of basic important concepts rather than memorizing. In this empirical study, I planned to investigate not only the comparison between simulated laboratory experimentations and hands-on laboratory experimentation, but also what is possible student performance when both experimentation applications are applied together to same group.

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY

As mentioned, this study deals with the following research question:

What is the effect of using computer simulations as laboratory experimentation compared to using hands-on experimentation on students’ conceptual understanding of projectile motion in the physics classroom?

Then, in this chapter, research procedures, especially, experimental design, methods, sampling and instrumentation for measuri