The impact of PhET interactive simulations and educational youtube videos on Rwanda Polytechnic students’ conceptual understanding in fluid mechanics

Abstract

Alternative conceptions in fluid mechanics present a significant challenge for students in science, technical, and engineering education. International studies have shown that students often demonstrate alternative conceptions and conceptual difficulties in different topic areas of fluid mechanics. Despite these challenges documented in global research, there is a lack of published research on learning and teaching fluid mechanics in the EAC region. This leaves a significant gap in empirical evidence on students’ conceptual understanding in this field and whether some interactive engagement instructional methods can be effective in improving it within the Rwandan context. This study aimed to investigate the effect of PhET interactive simulations supported by educational YouTube videos on students’ conceptual understanding of various content areas in fluid mechanics. Employing a quasi-experimental design, specifically a pre-test and post-test design, a sample of 168 students in construction technology was divided into an experimental group (𝑛 = 81), which received instruction on fluid mechanics using PhET interactive simulations and educational YouTube videos, and a control group (𝑛 = 87), which was taught through traditional methods. Each of the two groups was purposively selected from a separate college of Rwanda Polytechnic. A validated test, used as both the pre test and post-test, was administered to assess students’ level of conceptual understanding in different areas of fluid mechanics before and after the instruction. During the pre-test, the study identified 15 students’ common alternative conceptions in different areas of fluid mechanics. An independent samples t-test, Cohen’s d effect size, and other normalized learning gains were used for further data analysis on students’ scores, for comparison between the two groups. The findings from this study indicated that students in the experimental group improved more significantly in their conceptual understanding of the topic areas of fluid mechanics, with a significant change in the number of alternative conceptions addressed compared to the control group. The findings from this study highlight the potential of technology-enhanced learning tools in physics education, particularly in improving students’ conceptual understanding as well as addressing students’ alternative conceptions about fluid mechanics. Physics teachers are recommended to explicitly teach the concepts of fluid mechanics to their students by providing sufficient exposure to allow students to confront and correct errors in their reasoning when using fluid mechanics concepts, and emphasize conceptual problem-solving to promote a sound iv understanding of the content under study. The study recommends that physics trainers in RP Colleges and other science subject trainers provide sufficient exposure to their students to confront and correct their own errors related to fluid mechanics concepts and emphasize conceptual problem-solving for the improvement of their conceptual understanding. Physics trainers in RP Colleges and related STEM subjects’ trainers should integrate PhET interactive simulations and well-selected YouTube videos into their daily session delivery to improve students’ conceptual understanding of the content. Future research may focus on exploring students’ conceptual understanding and classifying each student according to their level of conceptual understanding in each content area of fluid mechanics.