This study investigated the effect of context-based instructional approaches on students' problem-solving skills using quasi-experimental design. A total of 166 eleventh grade students participated in the study. Data were collected using problemsolving skill test. A REACT (Relating, Experiencing, Applying, Cooperating and Transferring) strategy of context-based instruction and traditional instruction integrated with the REACT strategy of context-based instruction were used to teach treatment group I and treatment group II students, respectively while the traditional method was used in the comparison group. The result shows the existence of mean differences between the groups in favor of the treatment groups. But this difference was not statistically significant. Therefore, the traditional problem-solving strategies did not have a significant impact on students' problems solving skills although active learning strategies were used. Hence, we suggest the concomitant use of active learning method(s) and more recent problem-solving strategies. On the other hand, the gender gap was not that much significant in the treatment groups and hence, the approaches can work for both genders.

This study examined the effect of blended laboratory experiments on pre-service physics teachers’(PSPTs’) attitudes toward physics laboratories. The research design was a quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test comparing groups. Participants were 63 2nd-year PSPTs’ enrolled in a physics diploma program from three colleges of teacher education. The treatment groups performed blended and virtual laboratory experiments, whereas the comparison group conducted real laboratory experiments. Data were collected before and after intervention using a 34-item adapted attitude toward physics laboratory questionnaire with a Cronbach alpha value of 0.765. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired-sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Tukey post hoc comparisons. The findings revealed a statistically significant difference in mean post-test results between the treatment and comparison group. The Tukey HSD post hoc analysis revealed that the difference in mean between blended and real was statistically significant, but not on other combinations. Descriptive statistics showed slight attitudinal improvement from pre-test to post-test. This improvement was statistically significant for blended and virtual groups but not in real groups. Blending physics laboratory experiments can be used to enhance attitudes toward physics laboratories. Based on the conclusions, recommendations are made.

This study was aimed to investigate the effect of simulated analogical reasoning blended with group discussion method on secondary school students' physics achievement. A total of 120 grade 10 th students from three different high schools found in Debre Tabor Town, Ethiopia was selected and assigned as three experimental groups randomly to be treated through simulated analogical reasoning blended with group discussion method, concrete analogical reasoning method blended with group discussion method and alone in the learning of contents of electricity and magnetism. A quasi-experimental design was used. Electricity and magnetism performance test was employed to collect data. One-way ANOVA result indicated that students who used simulated analogical reasoning blended with group discussion method achieved a significant larger mean score in their performance test than other groups. To this end, this teaching method is more effective to enhance students' achievement than other model of analogy-based instructions.

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The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of blended physics laboratory experimentation on pre-service physics teachers’ (PSPTs’) understanding of the nature of science (NOS) during an electricity and magnetism laboratory course. The study used a non-equivalent comparison group using a pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental design that contrasted blended, virtual, and real mode of physics experimentations. A total of 63 PSPTs, 16 in blended experimental group, 26 in virtual experimental group, and 21 in real experimental group, participated in the study. Except for the type of manipulatives, the experiments in all the three cases were the same. Quantitative Likert-type questions were administered before and after the intervention and open-ended questions were administered after the intervention. The quantitative data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and ANCOVA, while the qualitative data were categorized under naïve, mixed, and informed views. The results revealed that experimenting with blended, virtual, and real manipulatives were found to be ineffective in enhancing understanding of NOS on the PSPTs’. Apart from the type of experiment used, it was suggested that adequate consideration be paid to NOS issues in the laboratory courses in order to obtain well-educated and trained physics teachers.