Journal of Educational Sciences

The Hermeneutics of Virtual Physics Education: A Postphenomenological Inquiry into Students' Experiences with Simulations and Virtual Labs

10.22055/edus.2025.48104.3663
Volume 33, Issue 1
April 2026
Pages 51-70
Journal of Educational Sciences

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Nazila Niazi 1
Saeid Zarghami-Hamrah 2
Ramazan Barkhordari 3
Yahya Ghaedi 4

1 Ph.D. Student, Department of Philosophy of Education, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Associate Prof., Department of Philosophy of Education, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran.

3 Associate Prof., Department of Philosophy of Education, Kharazmi University, Thran, Iran

4 Associate Prof., Department of Philosophy of Education, Kharazmi University, Thran, Iran.

Abstract
Virtual Virtual education has expanded rapidly since COVID-19, yet concerns remain about deep conceptual learning in physics, where embodied engagement with physical phenomena is essential. Drawing on postphenomenology and Ihde’s hermeneutic relations, this qualitative study explored high school students’ experiences of virtual physics education through digital technology mediation. Twenty-five Grade 10 and 11 students with at least one year of virtual physics experience participated in semi-structured online interviews. Thematic analysis, supported by member checking, expert review, and collaborative validation, revealed two dimensions of digital technologies’ affordances: technology use, including expanded laboratory opportunities, accessibility, repeatability, reduced experimental errors, and learner agency; and digital content representation, including attractiveness, focused attention, visualization of abstract concepts, and detailed scientific processes. However, participants identified three irreplaceable characteristics of real laboratories: simultaneity with authentic classroom events, direct physical engagement with natural phenomena, and greater realism and credibility of observations. Thus, while digital technologies enrich physics instruction, meaningful conceptual understanding remains dependent on embodied, situated experiences. Effective physics education should integrate digital technologies with face-to-face experimentation to preserve embodied cognition while benefiting from digital affordances

Keywords

Physics Education
Learning Experience
Postphenomenology
Digital Technology
Hermeneutic
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