Beliefs, Attitudes, and Intentions of Science Teachers Regarding the Educational Use of Computer Simulations and Inquiry-Based Experiments in Physics

Zacharias Zacharia

Journal of Research in Science Teaching Vol. 40, No. 8 (October 2003) pp. 792–823

The purpose of this study was to investigate (a) what effect the use of interactive computer-based simulations (ICBSs), the use of laboratory inquiry-based experiments (LIBEs), and the use of combinations of an ICBS and a LIBE, in a conceptually...

Examining whether touch sensory feedback is necessary for science learning through experimentation: A literature review of two different lines of research across K-16

Zacharias C. Zacharia

Educational Research Review Vol. 16, No. 1 (October 2015) pp. 116–137

The focus of this paper is on the contribution that active touch sensory feedback offered through physical or virtual (with haptic feedback) manipulatives, makes to students' learning through science experimentation. Both theoretical perspectives...

Language: English

The Impact of Interactive Computer Simulations on the Nature and Quality of Postgraduate Science Teachers' Explanations in Physics

Zacharias C. Zacharia

International Journal of Science Education Vol. 27, No. 14 (Nov 18, 2005) pp. 1741–1767

This study investigated how individuals' construction of explanations--a way of ascertaining how well an individual understands a concept--develops from an interactive simulation. Specifically, the purpose was to investigate the effect of...

The effects of an interactive computer-based simulation prior to performing a laboratory inquiry-based experiment on science teachers' conceptual understanding of physics

Zacharias Charilaos Zacharia

The effects of an interactive computer@-based@simulation prior to performing a laboratory@inquiry-based experiment on science teachers' conceptual understanding of physics (2002) pp. 1–205

This paper investigated how use of an Interactive Computer-Based Simulation (ICBS) prior to performing a Laboratory Inquiry-Based Experiment (LIBE), in a conceptually oriented physics course, affects students' conceptual development of some physics...

The Effects of an Interactive Computer-Based Simulation Prior to Performing a Laboratory Inquiry-Based Experiment on Students' Conceptual Understanding of Physics

Zacharias Zacharia; O Roger Anderson

American Journal of Physics Vol. 71, No. 6 (2003) pp. 618–29

Investigates the effects of interactive computer-based simulations presented prior to inquiry-based laboratory experiments on students' conceptual understanding of mechanics, waves/optics, and thermal physics. Uses conceptual tests to assess...

Physical versus virtual manipulative experimentation in physics learning

Zacharias C. Zacharia; Georgios Olympiou

Learning and Instruction Vol. 21, No. 3 (June 2011) pp. 317–331

The aim of this study was to investigate whether physical or virtual manipulative experimentation can differentiate physics learning. There were four experimental conditions, namely Physical Manipulative Experimentation (PME), Virtual Manipulative...

Language: English

Blending Physical and Virtual Manipulatives: An Effort to Improve Students' Conceptual Understanding through Science Laboratory Experimentation

Georgios Olympiou; Zacharias C. Zacharia

Science Education Vol. 96, No. 1 (January 2012) pp. 21–47

This study aimed to investigate the effect of experimenting with physical manipulatives (PM), virtual manipulatives (VM), and a blended combination of PM and VM on undergraduate students' understanding of concepts in the domain of "Light and Color." ...

Making the Invisible Visible: Enhancing Students' Conceptual Understanding by Introducing Representations of Abstract Objects in a Simulation

Georgios Olympiou; Zacharia Zacharias; Ton deJong

Instructional Science: An International Journal of the Learning Sciences Vol. 41, No. 3 (May 2013) pp. 575–596

This study aimed to identify if complementing representations of concrete objects with representations of abstract objects improves students' conceptual understanding as they use a simulation to experiment in the domain of "Light and Color"....

Examining Learning through Modeling in K-6 Science Education

Loucas T. Louca; Zacharias C. Zacharia

Journal of Science Education and Technology Vol. 24, No. 2 (April 2015) pp. 192–215

Despite the abundance of research in Modeling-based Learning (MbL) in science education, to date there is only limited research on MbL practices among K-6 novice modelers. More specifically, there is no information on how young/novice modelers'...

The Effects on Students' Conceptual Understanding of Electric Circuits of Introducing Virtual Manipulatives within a Physical Manipulatives-Oriented Curriculum

Zacharias C. Zacharia; Ton de Jong

Cognition and Instruction Vol. 32, No. 2 (2014) pp. 101–158

This study investigates whether Virtual Manipulatives (VM) within a Physical Manipulatives (PM)-oriented curriculum affect conceptual understanding of electric circuits and related experimentation processes. A pre-post comparison study randomly...

The Use of Mobile Devices as Means of Data Collection in Supporting Elementary School Students' Conceptual Understanding about Plants

Zacharias C. Zacharia; Charalambia Lazaridou; Lucy Avraamidou

International Journal of Science Education Vol. 38, No. 4 (2016) pp. 596–620

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of mobile learning among young learners. Specifically, we investigated whether the use of mobile devices for data collection during field trips outside the classroom could enhance fourth graders'...

The Effect of Two Different Cooperative Approaches on Students' Learning and Practices within the Context of a WebQuest Science Investigation

Zacharias C. Zacharia; Nikoletta A. Xenofontos; Constantinos C. Manoli

Educational Technology Research and Development Vol. 59, No. 3 (June 2011) pp. 399–424

The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of two different cooperative learning approaches, namely, the Jigsaw Cooperative Approach (JCA) and the Traditional Cooperative Approach (TCA), on students' learning and practices/actions within...

In Quest of Productive Modeling-Based Learning Discourse in Elementary School Science

Loucas T. Louca; Zacharias C. Zacharia; Constantinos P. Constantinou

Journal of Research in Science Teaching Vol. 48, No. 8 (October 2011) pp. 919–951

The purpose of this study was to investigate whole classroom discourse during modeling-based learning in science, seeking to describe the discourse's characteristics, its relation to the micro-context in which it took place and to the student...

Peer versus expert feedback: An investigation of the quality of peer feedback among secondary school students

Tasos Hovardas; Olia E. Tsivitanidou; Zacharias C. Zacharia

Computers & Education Vol. 71, No. 1 (February 2014) pp. 133–152

Few studies have focused on peer assessment at the secondary school level. Consequently, we know very little about the quality of the feedback secondary school students can produce and its potential usefulness. This study was implemented in the...

Language: English

Peer assessment among secondary school students: Introducing a peer feedback tool in the context of a computer supported inquiry learning environment in science

Olia Tsivitanidou; Zacharias C. Zacharia; Tasos Hovardas; Aphrodite Nicolaou

Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching Vol. 31, No. 4 (October 2012) pp. 433–465

In this study we introduced a peer feedback tool to secondary school students while aiming at investigating whether this tool leads to a feedback dialogue when using a computer supported inquiry learning environment in science. Moreover, we aimed at ...

Enhancing Fourth Graders’ Ability to Interpret Graphical Representations Through the Use of Microcomputer-Based Labs Implemented Within an Inquiry-Based Activity Sequence

Christiana Th. Nicolaou; Iolile Nicolaidou; Zacharias Zacharia; Constantinos P. Constantinou

Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching Vol. 26, No. 1 (January 2007) pp. 75–99

This article reports on a research effort that investigated whether the use of Microcomputer-Based Labs (MBLs), implemented within an inquiry-based activity sequence on phase transformations (melting and freezing), contributes to the development of...

Topics: Instructional Materials, Science, Curriculum, Educational Technology, Assessment

Investigating secondary school students’ unmediated peer assessment skills

Olia E. Tsivitanidou; Zacharias C. Zacharia; Tasos Hovardas

Learning and Instruction Vol. 21, No. 4 (August 2011) pp. 506–519

The purpose of this study was to investigate secondary school students’ unmediated peer assessment skills. Specifically, 36 seventh graders, without receiving any kind of support, were anonymously assigned to reciprocally assess their peers’ science ...

Objects, Entities, Behaviors, and Interactions: A Typology of Student-Constructed Computer-Based Models of Physical Phenomena

Loucas T. Louca; Zacharias C. Zacharia; Michalis Michael; Constantinos P. Constantinou

Journal of Educational Computing Research Vol. 44, No. 2 (2011) pp. 173–201

The purpose of this study was to develop a framework for analyzing and evaluating student-constructed models of physical phenomena and monitoring the progress of these models. Moreover, we aimed to examine whether this framework could capture...

Providing Guidance in Virtual Lab Experimentation: The Case of an Experiment Design Tool

Charalampos Efstathiou; Tasos Hovardas; Nikoletta A. Xenofontos; Zacharias C. Zacharia; Ton deJong; Anjo Anjewierden; Siswa A. N. van Riesen

Educational Technology Research and Development Vol. 66, No. 3 (2018) pp. 767–791

The present study employed a quasi-experimental design to assess a computer-based tool, which was intended to scaffold the task of designing experiments when using a virtual lab for the process of experimentation. In particular, we assessed the...

Identifying Potential Types of Guidance for Supporting Student Inquiry When Using Virtual and Remote Labs in Science: A Literature Review

Zacharias C. Zacharia; Constantinos Manoli; Nikoletta Xenofontos; Ton de Jong; Margus Pedaste; Siswa A. van Riesen; Ellen T. Kamp; Mario Mäeots; Leo Siiman; Eleftheria Tsourlidaki

Educational Technology Research and Development Vol. 63, No. 2 (April 2015) pp. 257–302

The aim of this review is to identify specific types of guidance for supporting student use of online labs, that is, virtual and remote labs, in an inquiry context. To do so, we reviewed the literature on providing guidance within computer supported ...

Phases of inquiry-based learning: Definitions and the inquiry cycle

Margus Pedaste; Mario Mäeots; Leo A. Siiman; Ton de Jong; Siswa A.N. van Riesen; Ellen T. Kamp; Constantinos C. Manoli; Zacharias C. Zacharia; Eleftheria Tsourlidaki

Educational Research Review Vol. 14, No. 1 (February 2015) pp. 47–61

Inquiry-based learning is gaining popularity in science curricula, international research and development projects as well as teaching. One of the underlying reasons is that its success can be significantly improved due to the recent technical...

Language: English

Using Scenarios to Design Complex Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments

Ton de Jong; Armin Weinberger; Isabelle Girault; Anders Kluge; Ard W. Lazonder; Margus Pedaste; Sten Ludvigsen; Muriel Ney; Barbara Wasson; Astrid Wichmann; Caspar Geraedts; Adam Giemza; Tasos Hovardas; Rachel Julien; Wouter R. van Joolingen; Anne Lejeune; Constantinos C. Manoli; Yuri Matteman; Tago Sarapuu; Alex Verkade; Vibeke Vold; Zacharias C. Zacharia

Educational Technology Research and Development Vol. 60, No. 5 (October 2012) pp. 883–901

Science Created by You (SCY) learning environments are computer-based environments in which students learn about science topics in the context of addressing a socio-scientific problem. Along their way to a solution for this problem students produce...