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I SHO‘BA:
Si a li a’lim – ba qa o a aqqiyo ka ola i: xo ijiy aj iba a mahalliy amaliyo
STEM EDUCATION THROUGH PHET MODELING: A CASE OF TEACHING
ATOMIC PHYSICS
Au ho s: DOSYMOV Yelmu a 1, ESER Selda2, UALIKHAN Almagul3, POLATULY Se ik4
A ilia ion: PhD, Senio lec u e , Ahme Yassawi Uni e si y, Kazakhs an 1, PhD.,
associa e p o esso , Saka ya uni e si y, Tu key 2, Doc o al s uden , Ahme Yassawi
Uni e si y, Kazakhs an 3, PhD, Senio lec u e , Ahme Yassawi Uni e si y, Kazakhs an4
DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17318400
ABSTRACT
The subjec o physics, pa icula ly he sec ion on a omic physics, is a complex and signi ican
ield in explaining scien i ic ounda ions and in ica e p ocesses. To simpli y such complexi y
and enhance s uden s' unde s anding, he use o PhET in e ac i e simula ions is one o he
e ec i e solu ions. This a icle explo es he eaching o a omic physics opics wi hin he STEM
amewo k and he po en ial o PhET modeling. The cen al idea o his s udy is o de e mine
he e ec i eness o eaching a omic physics h ough he use o PhET modeling wi hin he
STEM educa ion app oach. This esea ch aims o e alua e he e ec i eness o using PhET
simula ions in eaching a omic physics h ough he STEM me hod. The s udy was conduc ed
wi hin he amewo k o pedagogical p ac ice, du ing which simula ions such as Ru he o d
Sca e ing, Hyd ogen A om, Blackbody Spec um, and Fou ie we e used in he lea ning
p ocess. Du ing he esea ch, i was e ealed ha PhET models allow lea ne s o be no jus
passi e lis ene s, bu ac i e pa icipan s in he lea ning p ocess.
Keywo ds: STEM educa ion, PhET simula ion, a omic physics, in e ac i e lea ning, eaching
me hods.
INTRODUCTION
One o he majo challenges in oday’s global educa ion sys em is he declining
in e es o s uden s in na u al sciences and he di icul ies hey ace in mas e ing
exac sciences. Subjec s such as physics, chemis y, and ma hema ics a e o en
pe cei ed as complex and in imida ing by lea ne s. The dec easing le el o scien i ic
li e acy has become a p essing issue ha poses a signi ican ba ie a he global le el.
In his con ex , he STEM educa ion app oach and PhET in e ac i e simula ions,
widely used in in e na ional p ac ice, can se e as e ec i e ools o deli e ing high-
quali y and mode n educa ion in Kazakhs an as well. STEM is no me ely an
in eg a ion o he disciplines o Science, Technology, Enginee ing, and Ma hema ics,
bu also a sys em o educa ion and p o essional aining based on inno a ion,
scien i ic inqui y, and echnological p oblem-sol ing [1].
Lee and o he esea che s emphasize he impo ance o cogni i e science and
he hinking p ocess in s udying STEM educa ion, desc ibing i as a complex
cogni i e p ocess ha in ol es deep hinking, p oblem-sol ing, and ac i e
in ellec ual engagemen [2].
Khai uddin and Bangkok demons a e he e ec i eness o combining he
STEM app oach wi h PhET simula ions in os e ing s uden s’ c i ical hinking skills
“RAQAMLI TRANSFORMATSIYA DAVRIDA
PEDAGOGIK TA’LIMNI RIVOJLANTIRISH
ISTIQBOLLARI”
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I SHO‘BA:
Si a li a’lim – ba qa o a aqqiyo ka ola i: xo ijiy aj iba a mahalliy amaliyo
and highligh how in e ac i e modeling enhances lea ne s’ cogni i e engagemen
[3].
In his s udy, Pe kins comp ehensi ely analyzes he ole o PhET in e ac i e
simula ions in ans o ming STEM educa ion. He p o ides s ong e idence ha hese
ools mode nize he lea ning p ocess by making complex concep s in na u al
sciences mo e in ui i e, isual, and echnologically accessible [4].
Les a i, by in eg a ing STEM and p oblem-based lea ning app oaches, obse es
ha PhET-based ins uc ional ma e ials signi ican ly enhance s uden s'
unde s anding o co e concep s and de elop hei abili y o sol e complex p oblems
in physical and ma hema ical con ex s [5].
The use o PhET simula ions in physics lessons o ganized wi hin a STEM
amewo k has shown a posi i e impac on he de elopmen o highe -o de
hinking skills, unde lining he ole o isual modeling in p omo ing cogni i e ac i i y
and analy ical easoning [6]. Applying PhET modeling in he con ex o STEM
educa ion s imula es s uden s' cogni i e engagemen and helps ein o ce
heo e ical knowledge h ough p ac ical expe ience.
Al hough he in eg a ion o STEM educa ion in o physics eaching—pa icula ly
in a omic physics—is becoming inc easingly ele an , esea ch in his di ec ion
emains insu icien . The e is a no able lack o me hodological ecommenda ions
and e idence-based scien i ic s udies on how o deepen s uden s’ scien i ic
unde s anding, isualize abs ac concep s, and os e esea ch skills h ough
in e ac i e modeling pla o ms such as PhET. Fu he mo e, in he na ional educa ion
sys em, he e is a sho age o sys ema ic implemen a ion o PhET simula ions in o
cu icula, e alua ions o hei e ec i eness, and aining o u u e eache s o wo k
wi h such ools. This esea ch aims o add ess hese gaps and p opose po en ial
solu ions.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This s udy aimed o de e mine he e ec i eness o using PhET simula ions
wi hin he STEM app oach in eaching a omic physics. The esea ch was conduc ed
based on pedagogical p ac ice and ca ied ou di ec ly wi hin he educa ional
p ocess.
The ollowing PhET in e ac i e simula ions we e selec ed and in eg a ed in o
he eaching p ocess: Ru he o d Sca e ing, Models o he Hyd ogen A om,
Blackbody Spec um, and Fou ie : Making Wa es. Th ough hese simula ions,
s uden s explo ed he s uc u e o he a om, ene gy le els, spec al adia ion laws,
and wa e phenomena.
RESEARCH FINDINGS
The s udy e ealed ha PhET in e ac i e simula ions can be e ec i ely used
wi hin he STEM amewo k o each opics in a omic physics. In pa icula , isualizing
hyd ogen a om models allowed s uden s o g asp abs ac concep s in a clea and
comp ehensible manne . The in eg a ion o science, echnology, enginee ing, and
ma hema ics in o he lea ning p ocess enhanced s uden s’ in e es in he subjec
and con ibu ed o he de elopmen o hei c i ical hinking, modeling, and esea ch
skills.
Wi h he help o PhET simula ions, lea ne s we e able o unde s and he
e olu ion o a omic s uc u e s ep-by-s ep, while independen ly pe o ming asks
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I SHO‘BA:
Si a li a’lim – ba qa o a aqqiyo ka ola i: xo ijiy aj iba a mahalliy amaliyo
such as obse a ion, compa ison, and d awing conclusions. This app oach no only
acili a ed knowledge acquisi ion bu also allowed s uden s o apply wha hey had
lea ned in p ac ical con ex s. Mo eo e , o eache s, hese ools p o ided
oppo uni ies o di e si y lesson plans and mode nize ins uc ional me hods.
O e all, he use o PhET models wi hin he con ex o STEM educa ion p o ed
o be an e ec i e and accessible me hod ha mee s he demands o mode n
educa ion.
Fo ins ance, he opic “Blackbody Spec um” in he PhET simula ion can se e
as a aluable example.
A blackbody is an idealized physical model ha comple ely abso bs all inciden
elec omagne ic adia ion and emi s adia ion solely based on i s empe a u e.
S udying he spec um o a blackbody holds signi ican impo ance in physics,
pa icula ly in he ields o he modynamics and quan um mechanics. Explaining
his phenomenon o s uden s equi es isualiza ion and expe imen al modeling. Fo
his pu pose, he PhET simula ion se es as a highly e ec i e educa ional ool.
Figu e 1. PhET Simula ion [9]
Using he Blackbody Spec um simula ion om PhET [9], s uden s can isually
obse e he ela ionship be ween an objec ’s empe a u e and i s adia ion
spec um. Sol ing p oblems based on he opic o blackbody adia ion helps lea ne s
p ac ice calcula ing ac ual physical quan i ies. Examples o p oblems based on
Wien's Law and hei solu ions can be p esen ed.
P oblem: A wha wa eleng h does a body wi h a empe a u e o 6000 K emi
adia ion mos in ensely?
𝜆𝑚𝑎𝑥 =𝑏
𝑇
Whe e: b = 2.898*10−3m*K
𝜆𝑚𝑎𝑥 =2.898∗10−3
6000 = 4.83 ∗10−7м = 483 нм
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I SHO‘BA:
Si a li a’lim – ba qa o a aqqiyo ka ola i: xo ijiy aj iba a mahalliy amaliyo
The peak adia ion wa eleng h is 483 nm, which lies in he blue-g een egion o
he isible spec um.
PhET models allow s uden s o obse e physical p ocesses in eal ime,
manipula e pa ame e s, and isualize he esul s dynamically. Fo example, in he
Blackbody Spec um simula ion, s uden s can change he empe a u e and obse e
how he adia ion cu e shi s acco dingly.
This simula ion can also be used o explain he s uc u e o he a omic nucleus,
alpha pa icle sca e ing, and he signi icance o Ru he o d’s expe imen .
One o he mos impo an expe imen s in he s udy o a omic s uc u e is
E nes Ru he o d’s alpha-pa icle sca e ing expe imen conduc ed in 1911. This
expe imen disp o ed he ea lie “plum pudding model” o he a om and laid he
ounda ion o he nuclea model. PhET simula ions se e as an excellen ool o help
s uden s clea ly unde s and his phenomenon.
Figu e 2. Ru he o d Expe imen in he PhET Simula ion [10]
The “Ru he o d Sca e ing” [10] simula ion allows s uden s o isually obse e
how alpha pa icles sca e when passing nea an a omic nucleus. In Ru he o d's
sca e ing expe imen , mos alpha pa icles passed s aigh h ough, while some
we e de lec ed a la ge angles. These esul s p o ided s ong e idence ha a oms
ha e a small, dense, posi i ely cha ged nucleus a hei cen e .
In he PhET simula ion, his e y phenomenon is modeled: as an alpha pa icle
app oaches he nucleus, i is de lec ed due o he Coulomb epulsion. As he nuclea
cha ge inc eases, he sca e ing angle also becomes la ge —accu a ely e lec ing he
eal expe imen al ou comes.
Thanks o he PhET simula ion, Ru he o d sca e ing is no longe jus a
heo e ical concep , bu a isual, dynamic, and s uden -d i en expe ience. This
app oach enhances lea ne s' engagemen wi h he subjec and os e s a deepe
unde s anding o physical laws.
Th ough he “Fou ie : Making Wa es” [11] PhET simula ion, s uden s a e also
able o explo e complex wa e mo ions as a sum o simple ha monic wa es. When
only he i s ha monic (A₁) is ac i e and i s ampli ude is se o 1.5, he esul ing wa e
appea s in a pu e sinusoidal o m. This co esponds o a undamen al wa e a he
base equency — ep esen ing he pu e i s ha monic.
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I SHO‘BA:
Si a li a’lim – ba qa o a aqqiyo ka ola i: xo ijiy aj iba a mahalliy amaliyo
Figu e 3. Fou ie : Making Wa es [11]
In he Ha monics sec ion, he i s ha monic is ep esen ed in ed, while he
Sum g aph displays he ac ual shape o he esul ing wa e. Since addi ional
ha monics (A₂, A₃, e c.) a e no ac i a ed, he o e all wa e o m emains a simple sine
wa e. This ou come illus a es ha he mos basic ounda ion o any complex signal
is a sinusoidal wa e a he undamen al equency.
This model can be connec ed o eal-li e examples such as sound analysis in
music, p ocessing o elec ical signals, ib a ional mo ion, as well as hea and ligh
p opaga ion — he eby inc easing s uden s’ p ac ical in e es in he opic.
The use o PhET simula ions has been expe imen ally p o en o posi i ely
impac he academic pe o mance o s uden s in STEM ields. These isual and
in e ac i e echnologies demons a e hei e ec i eness in mas e ing heo e ical
knowledge h ough quan i iable esul s [7].
S aneski also emphasizes ha in e ac i e modeling ools such as PhET a e
highly bene icial in eaching physics in combina ion wi h STEM and p oblem-based
lea ning me hods, as hey boos s uden engagemen and acili a e independen
hinking and unde s anding [8].
Using PhET simula ions wi hin he STEM app oach o e s an e ec i e and
engaging way o each a omic physics in dep h. S uden s a e able o g asp
heo e ical concep s h ough conc e e models and app oach physical laws om a
esea che ’s pe spec i e. The in eg a ion o STEM inc eases hei in e es in science
and de elops hei logical easoning, labo a o y, and c ea i e skills. PhET models help
ans o m lea ne s om passi e lis ene s in o ac i e pa icipan s.
CONCLUSION
The esul s o his s udy show ha in eg a ing PhET simula ions wi h he STEM
app oach can se e as an e ec i e ool in eaching a omic physics. In e ac i e models
helped s uden s comp ehend complex concep s mo e easily, ac i ely engage in
lessons, and de elop scien i ic hinking skills. By using simula ions such as
Ru he o d Sca e ing, Hyd ogen A om, Blackbody Spec um, and Fou ie : Making
Wa es, s uden s we e able o isually explo e a omic s uc u e, ene gy le els, and
spec al and wa e phenomena.
This app oach no only enhanced s uden s’ in e es in he subjec bu also
helped os e p ac ical and esea ch-o ien ed skills. The e o e, he sys ema ic
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I SHO‘BA:
Si a li a’lim – ba qa o a aqqiyo ka ola i: xo ijiy aj iba a mahalliy amaliyo
in eg a ion o PhET simula ions in o he lea ning p ocess is one o he key s a egies
o ensu ing high-quali y, mode n physics educa ion.
«This esea ch has been/was/is unded by he Science Commi ee o he
Minis y o Science and Highe Educa ion o he Republic o Kazakhs an (G an No.
AP19579398)»
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