META-ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF INTEGRATING VIRTUAL SIMULATORS INTO SCIENCE TEACHING

Abstract

Virtual simulators (VS) have become true knowledge scenarios, capable of transforming the abstract into the visible and the inaccessible into the manipulable. However, few studies have explored, analysed, and systematized the impact of VS on science education. The method was a systematic review that applied the SALSA methodology (Search, Assessment, Synthesis, and Analysis) and used meta-analysis to define the effect of VS on student learning. The sample consisted of 31 studies extracted from Scopus, SciELO, PubMed, and Latindex 2.0, in which the educational role of VAs over the last decade was first analysed; of these, 16 were meta-analysed,

involving a total of 1,296 students. The standardized mean effect of SV interventions was large (1.73, 95% CI [1.00; 2.45]; Z = 4.67, p = .001) compared to traditional methods, with high heterogeneity (I² = 94.8%, p < .01); variables such as educational level, type of simulation, methodological approach, and program duration modulated the effectiveness of VEs. These findings support the use of VEs as an effective resource for science education, provided they are integrated into hybrid learning processes.