An Investigation of Relationships between Biology Attitudes and Perceptions toward Instructional Technology in Analogy-based Simulation on Light Reaction

Abstract

Computer-simulated scientific phenomena have become an indispensable tool in modern scientific investigations and in contemporary science class. In context of science-based education, computer simulation or visualization are now commonly used to promote student's meaningful understanding in science concepts, and motivation to learn science. This study presents the development of an analogy-based simulation, as a novel pedagogy-oriented simulation, for biology learning of light reaction phenomenon. 46 eleventh-grade students were recruited to participate interacting with the analogy-based simulation. The 25-item Likert-scale questionnaire on attitude toward biology lesson scale was administered to the student before interacting the simulation, and another 21-item Likert-scale questionnaire on perception toward instructional technology was completed by the student after the interacting. Overall finding of this study suggests that students’ attitudes towards biology did not determine their perceived learning, flow, enjoyment, perceived ease-of-use, perceived usefulness, and satisfaction, delivered by the analogy-based simulation. As such, this study concludes that the analogy-based simulation could be used in biology class disregarding students' attitudes toward biology. The findings could be implied for designing effective computer simulation to facilitate biology teaching and learning in school science.