Effects of Computer Simulations, Attitudes Towards Chemistry and Prior Knowledge on Students’ Academic Achievement in Chemistry

Improving academic achievement and students’ attitudes towards chemistry are among the important goals of science education. This study aimed to determine the influence of computer simulations on students’ attitudes and examine the predictive effects of the attitudes, students’ prior conceptual knowledge and computer simulations on their academic achievement after being taught chemical kinetics. The mixed-method study was based on the constructivist learning theory with a quasi-experimental design to collect quantitative data and semi-structured interviews to collect qualitative data. An experimental group of 53 grade 12 students was taught using simulations, and a control group of 65 students was taught using the conventional approach at two secondary schools in Limpopo Province, South Africa. A questionnaire and an achievement test were used to collect the data, which were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 28. An independent samples t-test showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the students’ attitudes after instruction (t = 5.682, p < .05, d = 0.48) in favour of the experimental group. A stepwise multiple linear regression analysis revealed that attitude, students’ prior conceptual knowledge and computer simulation instruction were significant predictors of academic achievement (prior knowledge: ? = 0.49, t = 6.712, p < .05, attitude: ? = 0.18, t = 2.248, p < 0.05, and instructional method: ? = 0.40, t = 4.886, p < .05). Students with more positive attitudes, higher prior knowledge and who learnt using computer simulations had greater academic achievement. These findings have implications for practising teachers, as using computer simulations in teaching chemistry can result in improved academic achievement and attitudes towards chemistry.