Development of interactive web-based media for DC circuit simulations with CER (claim, evidence and rationale) for the skill of explaining scientifically

Abstract

Because many high school students find abstract physics content hard to grasp, teaching such material calls for media that render it in a more concrete, visual form. This study set out to build an interactive learning tool for direct current (DC) electrical circuits, aimed at strengthening senior high school students' scientific explanation skills through a Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) framework. The media combines text, images, animation, simulation, and interactive exercises so that instruction becomes more engaging, active, and centered on the learner. Its development followed the ADDIE model (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation) within a broader Research and Development (R&D) framework, moving through needs analysis, design, product construction, expert validation, limited testing, revision, and full implementation. A one-group pretest-posttest design was applied to 36 grade XII Physics students at SMAN 8 Pontianak, with a four-item essay test built around the CER framework serving as the measure of conceptual understanding. Three validators assessed the media's validity, and the same 36 students provided data on its practicality, while an additional effectiveness test (pretest–posttest) established the classical completion rate after use. The resulting media proved valid, practical, and effective for building scientific explanation skills, earning a very valid rating overall, and the practicality test likewise placed it in the very practical category. One limitation is that the media currently covers only DC circuit material and, since it runs through Google Sites, requires an internet connection—leaving other physics topics and offline use for future development. Even so, the media in its present form is ready for teachers to adopt in day-to-day instruction.