Virtual Laboratories in Enhancing Experimental Skills and Scientific Understanding among High School Learners

Jason P. Dela Cruz^{1, 2,} , Marissa V. Lejano^{1, 3}, Jericho Martin^{1, 4}, Sei Jane R. Marquez^{1, 5}, Angel Rose S. Fernandez^{1, 6} and Romiro G. Bautista¹

¹Graduate School, Quirino State University, Diffun, Quirino, Philippines

²High School Department, Northeastern College, Santiago City, Philippines

³High School Department, Bannawag Integrated School, Santiago City, Philippines

⁴High School Department, San Isidro Integrated School, Diffun, Quirino, Philippines

⁵High School Department, Gulac Integrated School, Diffun, Quirino, Philippines

⁶Science Department, Cabarroguis National High School of Arts and Trades, Cabarrougis, Quirino, Philippines

Cite this paper:
Jason P. Dela Cruz, Marissa V. Lejano, Jericho Martin, Sei Jane R. Marquez, Angel Rose S. Fernandez and Romiro G. Bautista. Virtual Laboratories in Enhancing Experimental Skills and Scientific Understanding among High School Learners. American Journal of Educational Research. 2025; 13(6):338-343. doi: 10.12691/education-13-6-6

Abstract

This study examines how virtual laboratories can enhance high school students' experimental skills and understanding of science. With the growing use of technology in education, virtual labs enable students to conduct science experiments online, which can improve their engagement, critical thinking, and teamwork. The study involved 114 senior high school students from a private school in the locale of the study during the 2024-2025 school year, who are selected based on their familiarity with virtual labs. Data was collected through a survey that evaluated the accessibility and effectiveness of these virtual environments in enhancing students' skills and understanding. The findings indicate that students generally perceive virtual labs as beneficial for learning, reporting improvements in their ability to follow scientific procedures, manipulate variables, and grasp complex concepts. Additionally, virtual labs provide a safe space for experimentation, particularly when physical labs are not feasible. The study emphasizes the importance of integrating virtual labs into the curriculum to help students better understand scientific principles and prepare for future challenges in science and technology. It also suggests the need for further research to explore how different students respond to virtual labs and the long-term impacts of technology in education. Thus, this research supports the notion that virtual laboratories are valuable resources for enhancing STEM education among high school learners.

Keywords:
Virtual Laboratories Experimental Skills Scientific Understanding Science education

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

References:

[1]	Elmesery, M. (2025). Discover our 25 new virtual science experiments and features. Praxilabs. https:// praxilabs.com/ en/blog/2022/04/28/25-new-virtual-science-experiments/.
[2]	Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
[3]	Sellberg, C., Nazari, Z., & Solberg, M. (2024). Virtual laboratories in STEM higher education: A scoping review. Nordic Journal of Systematic Reviews in Education, 2(1), 58-75.https:// www.researchgate.net/publication/378736835_Virtual_Laboratories_in_STEM_Higher_Education_A_Scoping_Review.
[4]	Brinson, J. (2015). Effectiveness of virtual labs in STEM education: A meta-analysis. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 24(3), 300-310.
[5]	Reeves, S. M., & Crippen, K. J. (2021). Virtual laboratories in undergraduate science and engineering courses: A systematic review, 2009–2019. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 30(1), 16–30.
[6]	Kalogiannakis, M., & Papadakis, St. (2022). Preparing Greek Pre-service Kindergarten Teachers to Promote Creativity: Opportunities Using Scratch and Makey. In K.-J, Murcia, C., Campbell, M.-M. Joubert & S. Wilson (Eds.), Children’s Creative Inquiry in STEM. Sociocultural Explorations of Science Education, vol 25, 347-354, Switzerland, Cham: Springer.
[7]	Vassiliadou, A. (2020). Benefits of virtual labs in higher education: A systematic review. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 49(1), 5-20.
[8]	Breakey, H., et al. (2008). Virtual laboratories: A solution for science education in emergencies. Science Education International, 19(2), 123-130.
[9]	Manchikanti, P., Kumar, B. R., & Singh, V. K. (2017). Role of virtual biology laboratories in online and remote learning. In Proceedings - IEEE 8th International Conference on Technology for Education, T4E 2016 (pp. 136–139).
[10]	Ramadahan, M. F., & Irwanto. (2018). Using virtual labs to enhance students’ thinking abilities, skills, and scientific attitudes. In International conference on educational research and innovation (ICERI 2017) (pp. 494–499).
[11]	Sharma, P. (2024). Gamification in virtual labs: Enhancing student engagement in STEM. International Journal of Educational Technology, 15(4), 200-215.
[12]	Mentis Sci. (2025). Visual learning in virtual labs: Enhancing understanding of complex concepts. Journal of Educational Technology, 10(2), 45-60.
[13]	Batesh, K., et al. (2025). The impact of digital technologies on STEM education: A review of current research. International Journal of STEM Education, 12(1), 1-15.
[14]	Ampartzaki, M., Kalogiannakis, M., Papadakis, St., & Giannakou, V. (2022). Perceptions About STEM and the Arts: Teachers’, Parents’ Professionals’ and Artists’ Understandings About the Role of Arts in STEM Education. In St. Papadakis & M. Kalogiannakis (Eds), STEM, Robotics, Mobile Apps in Early Childhood and Primary Education - Technology to promote teaching and learning. Lecture Notes in Educational Technology, 601-624, Switzerland, Cham: Springer
[15]	Bradshaw, C., Atkinson, S., & Doody, O. (2017). Employing a qualitative description approach in health care research. Global Qualitative Nursing Research, 4, 1-8.
[16]	Kanaki, K., & Kalogiannakis, M. (2023). Sample design challenges: An educational research paradigm, International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, 15(3), 266- 285
[17]	Petousi, V., & Sifaki, E. (2020). Contextualizing harm in the framework of research misconduct: Findings from discourse analysis of scientific publications. International Journal of Sustainable Development, 23, 10.1504/IJSD.2020.10037655.
[18]	Breakey, K. M., Levin, D., Miller, I., & Hentges, K. E. (2008). The use of scenario-based-learning interactive software to create custom virtual laboratory scenarios for teaching genetics. Genetics, 179(3), 1151–1155.
[19]	Wu, Y., et al. (2022). Age and technology: Understanding the digital divide in education. Computers & Education, 178, 104-120.
[20]	Brinson, J. (2015). Learning outcome achievement in non-traditional (virtual and remote) versus traditional (hands-on) laboratories: A review of the empirical research. Computers & Education, 87, 218-237.
[21]	Becker, R. (2022). Gender and survey participation: An event history analysis of the gender effects of survey participation in a probability-based multi-wave panel study with a sequential mixed-mode design. Methods, Data, Analyses: A Journal for Quantitative Methods and Survey Methodology, 16(1), 3-32.
[22]	Mentis Sciences, Inc. (2025). Laboratory without limits: How science virtual labs are transforming K-12 education. https://www.mentissciences.com/Laboratory-Without-Limits--How-Science-Virtual-Labs-Are-Transforming-K-12-Education-1-22131.html
[23]	Acenas, R., Martin, R., & Bautista, R. (2019). Chemistry made easy: Unraveling the experiences of biological science majors in using a virtual laboratory. American Journal of Educational Research, 7 (2), 170-173.
[24]	Becker, K. (2022). Gender differences in survey participation: A review of the literature. Journal of Educational Research, 115(3), 345-356.
[25]	Sharma, N. (2024). 7 benefits of using virtual labs in K12 education. Higher Ed & K-12 Solutions. https:// www.hurix.com/ blogs/benefits-of-using-virtual-labs-in-k-12-education.
[26]	Vasiliadou, R. (2020). Virtual laboratories during coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education: A Bimonthly Publication of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 48(5), 482–483.
[27]	Zhao, K., & Fils-Aime, F. (2022). Response rates of online surveys in published research: A meta-analysis. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 7, 100206.