Abstract:

Over the past decade, the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment, PISA, has become the world’s premier yardstick for evaluating the quality, equity and efficiency of school systems. The latest PISA assessment in 2015 focused on science and according to results of this survey in many European countries the students achievements in science are alarmingly low and special actions are needed to address and assists school to improve science education.

For example, in Slovakia average score in science as percentage difference from the OECD average is -6,5%, in Greece -7,7%, Romania -11,8% and even in Cyprus -12,8%. So, there is a clear necessity to address students' science and physics performance and improve the quality of education, assist students' learning and also enhance their understanding and their performance. These are absolutely necessary in order to achieve the aim of the EU to reduce by 2020 the proportion of 15 year-olds students with low achievement in science to less than 15%. So, specific actions and initiations should be designed towards this direction.

The article presents the project “WoP - An innovative virtual reality educational environment for school physics education” which aims to assist students in studying physics domain with the utilization of innovative technologies like 3D virtual reality.

The main aim of WoP project is to develop an educational environment developed innovative educational infrastructure offer immersive and efficient learning opportunities, engaging students in various educational activities, learning scenarios and offering students an attractive, entertaining and efficient way to learn various topics of the challenging domain of physics. The virtual educational environment and the laboratories are designed in a way that support students to form appropriate mental models of involved concepts, by visualizing them and allowing interactions with the virtual phenomena and processes.

The article also presents findings of an analysis the actual state in the physics education in secondary education schools in the partners’ countries, particularly in Slovakia.

Keywords:

Physics, STEM education, Virtual reality, 3D.