Gifted Pupils’ Learning Experience in Virtual Laboratories

Abstract

One of the main courses that have been affected by instructional technology is science education since the nature of topics covered by the science curriculum may require the usage of technology to teach them better. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of virtual laboratories on the development of gifted children’s conceptual knowledge and the improvement of inquiry skills. A total of 43 sixth-grade gifted learners were the participants: 22 in the control group, in which hands-on experimentation was conducted, and 21 sixth-grade pupils in the experimental group, where virtual laboratory environments were used. Two different data-gathering tools, namely a multiple-choice conceptual knowledge test and an inquiry skills test, were used in this study. The results revealed that although both groups enhanced their conceptual knowledge and improved their inquiry skills throughout the study, the students in the experimental group reached significantly higher scores than their counterparts for both of the tests. Several suggestions are made for both science teachers and researchers concerning the outcomes of the current study.