Experimental Comparison of Virtual Reality with Traditional Teaching Methods for Teaching Radioactivity

Research at the University of Nottingham has been carried out to investigate the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) for teaching secondary school science. This paper describes the evaluation of VR to teach radioactivity at secondary school level. Evaluation was carried out in a local school and compared directly to the traditional teaching methods currently used in the school to teach radioactivity. Computer experience, computer attitudes, general attitudes and knowledge gained were measured to allow comparisons to be drawn. Individual differences of gender, ability and home computer use were also looked at in relation to the above measures. Results indicated that both ability level and the order in which the conditions were completed significantly affected the attitude scores. High ability students reported higher attitude scores, both overall and for the VR class in particular. As a result of the evaluation study, the Virtual Laboratory has been heavily modified and further evaluation studies were then carried out.