Traditional versus digitally supported experimental chemistry tasks: effects on student performance in rural and small-scale schools of Kazakhstan

Nailya Shertayeva, Nagima Kybrayeva, Bibigul Shagraуеva, Togzhan Baiduisenova, Saule Bitursyn, Kulyash Kerimbayeva, Aktolkyn Boranbayeva, Perizat Abdurazova

2026

Full text Open access: Gold Metadata (CSL-JSON)
DOI 10.1515/cti-2026-0046
Data confidence 70 medium
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Abstract

Abstract This article compares traditional laboratory tasks and digitally supported experimental chemistry tasks in rural and small-scale schools of Kazakhstan. The study addresses the need to improve chemistry instruction in resource-constrained school contexts, where limited laboratory infrastructure and unequal access to modern teaching tools may restrict opportunities for meaningful experimental learning. The aim of the study was to examine whether digitally supported experimental tasks are associated with higher student performance than traditional laboratory tasks in Grades 8 and 9. The study was designed as a classroom-based quasi-experimental field study and was conducted in four rural and small-scale schools in the Turkestan region of Kazakhstan. A total of 200 students in Grades 8 and 9 participated. The study used a within-subject comparative design: the same students completed both traditional laboratory tasks and digitally supported experimental tasks. The traditional tasks included manual laboratory work on the effect of temperature on the rate of a chemical reaction and the determination of pH using indicator paper. The digitally supported tasks addressed comparable chemistry content using digital temperature, gas, and pH sensors, as well as data visualization tools. Student performance was assessed using five criteria: task completion quality, measurement accuracy, data interpretation, quality of conclusions, and observed task involvement. The results showed that the digitally supported format was associated with higher scores across all assessed performance indicators. The average integrated score increased from 70.0 points in the traditional tasks to 82.7 points in the digitally supported tasks. The largest gain was observed in measurement accuracy, where the mean difference reached 15.1 points. Improvements were also found in data interpretation, quality of conclusions, task completion quality, and observed task involvement. Statistical analysis confirmed significant differences between the two task formats, while the interaction between task format and school was not significant. This indicates that the observed improvement was relatively stable across the participating schools and was not limited to a single school context.