Abstract
The growing digitalization of school education and the increasing demand for safe, accessible, and pedagogically effective laboratory instruction have led to growing interest in the use of virtual laboratories in school chemistry education. However, the educational value of virtual laboratories is determined not only by their technological capabilities, but also by the pedagogical conditions of their integration into instructional practice.The aim of this article is to theoretically identify and substantiate the didactic conditions for integrating virtual laboratories into the general chemistry course in secondary school education, as well as to develop a conceptual model for their pedagogically meaningful implementation in school chemistry instruction.The study is theoretical and design-analytical in nature and does not include empirical validation. A structured literature review design was applied, combining literature analysis, comparative pedagogical interpretation, and pedagogical modeling, with emphasis on transparent selection procedures and conceptual synthesis rather than exhaustive systematic review procedures. Publications were selected from leading scientific databases using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria.The literature analysis shows that virtual laboratories can support students’ conceptual understanding and development of experimental skills in school chemistry under certain pedagogical conditions. These include alignment of learning objectives, inquiry-based organization of laboratory activities, structured instructional support, cognitive load management, formative assessment, and integration of virtual and real laboratory experiences.Based on the literature analysis, a conceptual five-stage model is proposed, including preliminary preparation, virtual experiment, data interpretation, reflection, and transfer to school laboratory practice. The model considers virtual laboratories as a complementary learning environment that supports conceptual understanding, visualization of chemical processes, safe experimentation, and preparation for hands-on laboratory work in secondary education.