Computerized Simulation, Hands-On Laboratory Experimentation, and Seventh-Grade Students’ Achievement in Science

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While both hands-on laboratory experimentation and computerized simulations are effective for teaching material density, hands-on experimentation yields higher overall student achievement, whereas simulations are superior for clarifying concepts that are difficult to represent practically. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

Hamda Ghadir

doi:10.53796/hnsj79/14

September 1, 2026Humanitarian and Natural Sciences JournalOpen Access

Computerized Simulation, Hands-On Laboratory Experimentation, and Seventh-Grade Students’ Achievement in Science

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Key Points

To compare the instructional effectiveness of computerized simulations versus hands-on laboratory experimentation on seventh-grade students' understanding and academic achievement in material density.
Quasi-experimental design conducted among N=63 seventh-grade students from a middle school in the Arab community in the Northern district.
Participants received identical theoretical instruction but were assigned to either a computerized simulation group (n=32) or a physical laboratory experiment group (n=31).
Science achievement was evaluated using an 11-item criterion-referenced test and analyzed with independent t-tests and item difficulty indices in SPSS.
Students in the hands-on laboratory group achieved a higher mean score of 85 (SD = 10.32) compared to a mean score of 71 (SD = 14.91) in the computerized simulation group.
Hands-on experimentation was more effective for concepts relying on direct physical interaction, whereas computerized simulations excelled in illustrating abstract scenarios difficult to test physically, such as gas density.

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Implication

Quasi-experimental study demonstrates superior science test scores with hands-on lab experiments over computerized simulations in seventh-grade students, suggesting digital tools best serve as...

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Hamda Ghadir (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a9934ea636c6408cfa7cba9 https://doi.org/10.53796/hnsj79/14

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Computerized Simulation, Hands-On Laboratory Experimentation, and Seventh-Grade Students’ Achievement in Science

Key Points

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Computerized Simulation, Hands-On Laboratory Experimentation, and Seventh-Grade Students’ Achievement in Science

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