Physics Education Technology (PhET) Interactive Simulations in Teaching Science and Test-Scores Among Students

Abstract

This study examined the use of Physics Education Technology (PhET) Interactive Simulations in teaching Science and the test scores of Grade 8 students at Mahinog National High School during School Year 2025-2026. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used with two intact heterogeneous classes: 37 learners in the control group and 37 learners in the experimental group. The control group received lecture-based instruction supported by the chalkboard, whereas the experimental group received instruction using PhET Interactive Simulations aligned with Grade 8 Science lessons. A validated curriculum-aligned test with a reported Cronbach's alpha of .83 was administered before and after the 18-day intervention. Frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, independent-samples t-test, and multiple regression analysis were used. The control group's mean increased from 6.57 (SD = 3.50) to 8.02 (SD = 4.30), while the experimental group's mean increased from 10.54 (SD = 4.60) to 13.51 (SD = 5.40). The experimental group demonstrated a larger gain score (2.97) than the control group (1.45), with the source manuscript reporting a significant gain-score difference, t = 2.69, p = .008. The regression model was significant, F(8, 65) = 39.62, p < .001, and explained 83% of the variance in posttest scores. Baseline score and instructional group were significant predictors, while age, family income, household size, and their reported interaction terms were not significant. The findings indicate that PhET simulations can serve as a useful supplement to Science instruction. Because the intact groups differed substantially at baseline, the intervention effect should be interpreted using the adjusted regression results and verified against the original statistical output before publication.