Combining video and virtual experiments to foster online scientific inquiry learning: insights from mediation and lag sequential analyses

In recent years, computer-based online inquiry has become a prevalent mode of learning in science education. Growing evidence suggests that using multiple experimental formats can be more effective than single-format approaches in supporting scientific inquiry learning. However, the mechanisms and efficacy of combining video and virtual experiments in online environments remain underexplored. This study investigated the effects and underlying processes of this combination using mediation and lag sequential analyses. A total of 117 middle school students were assigned to one of three conditions: a combined video and virtual experiment condition, a video-only condition, or a virtual-only condition. Results indicated that the combined condition led to significant improvements in students’ inquiry process performance and conceptual understanding. Furthermore, inquiry process performance fully mediated the effect of experimental format on conceptual understanding. Lag sequential analysis showed that students in the combined condition engaged in more effective experimental manipulations and exhibited fewer trial-and-error behavioural patterns than those in the virtual-only condition. These results not only affirm the benefits of combining video and virtual experiments in online scientific inquiry but also elucidate the inquiry process mechanisms, offering valuable insights and implications for both practice and theory in science education.