Using Computer Simulations with a Real-World Engineering Example to Improve Student Learning of High School Physics: A Case Study of K-12 Engineering Education

K-12 engineering education has recently received increasing national and international attention for stimulating interest and improving learning in mathematics and science. This paper describes a case study of K-12 engineering education in which a real-world engineering example is integrated into a computer simulation learning module to improve student understanding of three important concept pairs in high school physics, specifically, in Newtonian mechanics. The three concept pairs include: linear displacement vs. angular displacement, linear velocity vs. angular velocity, linear acceleration vs. angular acceleration. The module has interactive graphical user interfaces requiring student inputs to promote active learning. A total of fifteen high school students participated in the present study. A pre-test, a post-test, and a questionnaire survey were administrated to assess student perceptions about the three concept pairs as well as student learning gains. The coefficients of reliability (Cronbach's alpha) of the assessment instruments were 0.937 and 0.969, respectively. Students reported positive experiences with the developed computer simulation module, and stated that, via the use of the simulation learning module, they developed a better understanding of the conceptual difference and the mathematical relationship between two concepts in each concept pair. Students achieved an average learning gain of 46.7%-71.4%. Finally, the present study reveals that the three lowest learning gains are all related to angular quantities: angular displacement, angular velocity, and angular acceleration. This implies that more educational efforts should be made to improve student understanding of these angular quantities.