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The Effectiveness of Interacting with Scientific Animations in Chemistry Using Mobile Devices on Grade 12 Students’ Spatial Ability and Scientific Reasoning Skills

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Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effectiveness of interacting with animations using mobile devices on grade 12 students’ spatial and reasoning abilities. The study took place in a grade 12 context in Oman. A quasi-experimental design was used with an experimental group of 32 students and a control group of 28 students. The experimental group studied chemistry using mobile tablets that had a digital instructional package with different animation and simulations. There was one tablet per student. A spatial ability test and a scientific reasoning test were administered to both groups prior and after the study, which lasted for 9 weeks. The findings showed that there were significant statistical differences between the two groups in terms of spatial ability in favour of the experimental group. However, there were no differences between the two groups in terms of reasoning ability. The authors reasoned that the types of animations and simulations used in the current study featured a wide range of three-dimensional animated illustrations at the particulate level of matter. Most probably, this decreased the level of abstractness that usually accompanies chemical entities and phenomena and helped the students to visualize the interactions between submicroscopic entities spatially. Further research is needed to decide on types of scientific animations that could help students improve their scientific reasoning.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their sincere appreciation to The Research Council (TRC) in Oman for their generous funding of this project (TRC No. ORG/EHR/12/005) and to various research assistants and teachers who made the implementation of study possible.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Curriculum and Instruction Department, College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 93, 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

    Sulaiman M. Al-Balushi, Abdullah K. Ambusaidi & Fatemah H. Al-Hajri

  2. Instructional and Learning Technologies Department, College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

    Ali S. Al-Musawi

Authors
  1. Sulaiman M. Al-Balushi
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  2. Ali S. Al-Musawi
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  3. Abdullah K. Ambusaidi
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  4. Fatemah H. Al-Hajri
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sulaiman M. Al-Balushi.

Appendix: Topics Taught in the Experiment and Their Related Animations

Appendix: Topics Taught in the Experiment and Their Related Animations

Topic

Animation title

Number of lessons

Oxidation and reduction reactions

1. Oxidation and reduction processes

6

2. Redox reactions

Industrial applications for redox reactions

3. Metals

3

Galvanic cells

4. Galvanic cell: standard hydrogen electrode

3

Standard cells and cell potentials

5. Use of standard hydrogen electrode as an anode

5

6. Difference between electrochemical cell and electrolytic cell

Electrolytic cells and electrolysis

7. Electrolysis

3

8. Differences between conductors and electrolysis

9. Factors affecting the product of electrolysis (part I)

10. Factors affecting the product of electrolysis (part II)

Practical and technological applications of electrochemical cells

11. Applications of electrolysis (part I)

8

12. Applications of electrolysis (part II)

13. The dry cell

14. Lead acid storage battery

15. Refining of aluminium

16. Extraction of silver

17. Extraction of mercury

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Al-Balushi, S.M., Al-Musawi, A.S., Ambusaidi, A.K. et al. The Effectiveness of Interacting with Scientific Animations in Chemistry Using Mobile Devices on Grade 12 Students’ Spatial Ability and Scientific Reasoning Skills. J Sci Educ Technol 26, 70–81 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-016-9652-2

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