Construction of "Low-Tech, High-Engagement" Teaching Model for High School Physics under Background of Digital Transformation

Park Jin Young 【Korea】

Abstract

This paper addresses the insufficient application of digital tools and limited traditional experimental resources in high school physics teaching Korea, proposing a "Low-Tech, High-Engagement" (LTHE) teaching model. This model, centered on low-cost technologies such as smartphone sensors and opensource data analysis platforms, integrates Korean EBS educational platform resources to construct a three-stage teaching framework of "Situation Awareness-Data-Driven-Collaborative Ver". An empirical study of a mechanics unit in a Seoul high school shows that the LTHE model significantly enhances students' scientific inquiry abilities (with a 23.7% NERS score for the experimental group compared to the control group), while reducing the cost of digital transformation in schools by 68%. This research provides reusable digital teaching for front-line teachers, promoting the equitable development of physics education.

Keywords: High School Physics; Digital Transformation; Low-Tech; High Engagement; Korean; Experimental Teaching

1. Introduction: The Context of Digital Transformation in Korea

Amid the global wave of educational digitization, Korea has consistently been at the forefront of application. Following the 2015 curriculum reform, the Korean Ministry of Education listed "IT Convergence" as a core goal of science education, requiring teachers to "deep concept understanding by applying digital tools".

However, front-line teaching faces three contradictions:

High cost of technology: The investment in VR labs and smart devices far exceeds financial capacity of local governments (e.g., a single VR lab in a school in Gwangju costs more than 30 million won). This is undoubtedly a burden for many regions with a weak economic foundation, leading many schools to hesitate when introducing advanced technology;

Technology detached from reality: 75% of teachers believe that technologies as AI and VR are "complicated to operate and detached from real physical phenomena". These technologies often require long-term training for teachers to master, and it is difficult to them deeply with existing curriculum content in actual teaching, sometimes even causing confusion among students and failing to effectively assist in understanding physical phenomena;

Uneven distribution of resources: The absence of experimental equipment in rural schools is as high as 34% (2024 Annual Statistics of Korean Education), and there is a significant gap in educational resources between and rural schools. Rural schools not only lack advanced experimental equipment but also have difficulty ensuring even basic experimental equipment, which further exacerbates the issue of educational equity.

Therefore, this abandons high-cost, high-threshold technologies and focuses on "Low-Tech" tools such as smartphone sensors (e.g., accelerometer, sonar) and-source software (Phyphox, Tracker). Combined with the design of high interactive learning tasks in the Korean context, it explores digital paths suitable for grassroots practice. utilizing smartphones and their built-in sensors, which students generally own, and free and open-source analysis software, it can effectively reduce the cost and threshold of technology application. At same time, these tools can transform abstract physical concepts into intuitive and perceptible experimental data, helping students better understand real physical phenomena. Thus, in the case of limited resources, study provides feasible digital solutions for front-line teaching.

2. Theoretical Framework and Innovative Design of LTHE Model

2.1 Theoreticalis: Embodied Cognition and Data Visualization

Embodied Cognition Theory: Students perceive physical quantities through bodily movements (such as measuring elevator acceleration with a smartphone, kinematic parameters through gait analysis, and manipulating the trajectory of simulated celestial motion with gestures), which reinforces the conceptual concretization, transforms abstract physical laws (such as's laws of motion and the law of conservation of energy) into tangible bodily memories, and enhances the retention rate and application ability of knowledge;

Data-Driven Inquiry Using open-source sensor applications like Phyphox to generate real-time motion images, acceleration-time curves, displacement-time functions, and other visualized data flows, transform abstract formulas (such as s=vt 1/2at²) into dynamic charts and values. Students can observe data patterns by adjusting experimental parameters (such as changing the of the inclined plane or the mass of the object), discover relationships between variables on their own, and cultivate scientific inquiry thinking and data analysis skills.

2.2 Three- Teaching Model Design

(1) Situation Awareness Stage: Introduction of Localized Issues

Using Korean life scenarios to design tasks that guide students to closely integrate physics knowledge with real, stimulate learning interest, and provoke the desire to explore.

▶ Example 1: Use a smartphone barometer to measure the air pressure at different floors of the Nams Tower in Seoul, and derive the altitude formula. In the specific operation, students can carry smartphones with barometer functions in groups, record the air pressure values at different viewing platforms of Namsan Tower (such as the ground floor, the 50th floor, the 100th floor, etc.), and combine the standard atmospheric pressure of Seoul's ground, draw the image of air pressure changing with height through experimental data, and then derive the formula for calculating altitude according to the rule that atmospheric pressure decreases with increase of altitude (usually about 10 kPa for every 1000 meters of elevation), and analyze the source of errors (such as weather changes, temperature, etc.).

▶ Example 2: Analyze the braking acceleration data of Busan Metro to verify Newton's Second Law. Students can look up the data released the official braking process of Busan Metro (such as train mass, braking initial velocity, braking distance, etc.), or simulate the braking scene of the subway for experiments ( as using simple equipment such as trolleys, inclined planes, and dot timers), measure the braking acceleration of the trolley under different load conditions, and explore the between acceleration and the resultant external force (such as tension) and mass through the method of controlling variables, so as to verify Newton's second law F=ma, and understand application of inertia in actual transportation.

Integrate EBS platform video resources (such as "Science Detective Team") to create situations. EBS, as a well-known television station in Korea, its "Science Detective Team" program integrates complex physical phenomena into real-life cases through vivid and interesting storylines and real scientific experiments. For example, explaining mechanical knowledge, you can select segments from the show about "how to use the principle of lever to open a heavy door" and "elevator overload and weightlessness phenomenon, guide students to observe the process of inquiry in the video, think about the physical principles contained in it, and then combine the localized tasks, so that students can perceive the value physics knowledge application in the situation, and lay the foundation for subsequent inquiry learning.

(2) Data-Driven Stage: Application of Low-Cost Tools

Smartphone S Experiments：

Open-source data analysis tools:

▶ Tracker video analysis: Students use mobile phones or cameras to shoot of the block's motion on the inclined plane, and use the Tracker software to track the block in the video frame by frame, automatically extracting the position coordinate data of block at different times, and then generating displacement-time (s-t) graphs, velocity-time (v-t) graphs, and acceleration-time (a-t) through the software's built-in calculation functions, which help students intuitively understand the laws of uniform linear motion with constant acceleration, and can further calculate the magnitude of acceleration compare it with the theoretical value, to enhance experimental exploration ability;

▶Phyphox remote collaboration: Based on the Phyphox open-source physics experiment APP, from multiple schools can collect experimental data under the same experimental conditions (such as measuring the acceleration of free fall, the period of a simple pendulum, etc.), and upload data to the cloud platform through the data sharing function built into the APP, all students from participating schools can view and download other schools' experimental data in real time, and verify theality of physical laws through statistical analysis and comparison of multiple sets of data, such as the slight difference in the acceleration of gravity in different regions on the experimental results, and cultivate students' data processing ability and scientific argumentation consciousness.

(3) Collaborative verification stage: Digital reform of evaluation

Design of process evaluation rubrics:

[Data collection norm] 0-3 points | [Depth of error analysis] 0-4 points | [Conclusion migration ability] 0-3 points.

Introduction of a digital report system: Students upload videos, data charts to the campus cloud platform, supporting peer evaluation.

3. Practice case: Mechanics unit teaching evidence

3.1 Implementation backgroundObject: Grade 10 students of Seoul A High School (experimental group n=45, control group n=43).

Content: "Newton's of Motion" unit (class time: 6 class hours, specifically covering Newton's First Law, Second Law, Third Law and their applications in practical problems, such as inclined motion, connected body problems, etc.).

Tools: Samsung Galaxy mobile phones (with built-in physical sensors such as accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer,.), Phyphox APP (used to collect sensor data in real time and for visual analysis), EBS virtual experiment library (providing interactive virtual experiment scenarios, as collision experiments, free fall simulations, etc.).

3.2 Typical task design

Task name: "Measuring the acceleration of the roller coaster at L World in Seoul with a mobile phone"

Situation introduction: Play a video of the roller coaster in operation, which clearly shows the thrilling scenes of the roller coaster at high speed on the winding track, plunging at high speed, and passing through the circular track, with exciting background music, combined with the roar of the roller coaster the screams of the passengers, creating a real and exciting experience atmosphere, stimulating students' interest in exploring physical phenomena.

Data Collection: Students in groups used smartphones to measure the acceleration components when the roller coaster ascends andends. Each group of students received a smartphone equipped with the Phyphox application, which they fixed to a custom-made shock-absorbing bracket according to the guidance, that the smartphone remained stable and oriented correctly during the roller coaster's operation. When the roller coaster started, the students activated the acceleration sensor module in the Phyox application, recording the smartphone's acceleration data in real-time along the x-axis (horizontal), y-axis (vertical), and z-axis (depth. During the ascent phase of the roller coaster, the students observed the gradual increase in the y-axis acceleration value on the smartphone screen, experiencing a distinct upward push;, during the descent phase, the y-axis acceleration value rapidly decreased or even became negative, accompanied by a strong sense of weightlessness. They also recorded the time nodes when the coaster passed through different track segments, providing a temporal reference for subsequent data analysis.

Collaborative Analysis: Phyphox generates a-t graphs and calculates the relationship centripetal force and track curvature. Each group imported the collected acceleration data into the Phyphox software, automatically generating clear acceleration-time (a-t) graphs. the graphs, the roller coaster exhibits nearly constant acceleration in the straight ascent segment, while experiencing significant changes in acceleration in the curved track segment, especially at the circular track, the acceleration vector direction changes continuously, forming a complex curve. The students calculated the magnitude of the centripetal force for different track segments by analyzing the peaks and trends of the-t graphs and combined with the formula for circular motion, F=ma, and the formula for centripetal force, F=mω²r. They compared the calculatedripetal force with the radius of curvature of the track, finding an inverse relationship between the centripetal force and the radius of curvature of the track, that is, the smaller radius of curvature, the greater the centripetal force, which corresponds to the strong side push felt by the roller coaster in sharp turns.

Error Debate: Discussing impact of mobile phone fixing methods on data accuracy (error source analysis report). In the error analysis session, each group had a fierce debate on "the impact of mobile phone fixing on data accuracy". Some groups believed that using elastic straps to fix mobile phones was convenient, but it was prone to causing mobile phone shaking during the intense vibration of the roller co, resulting in large noise in the acceleration data; while using magnetic brackets for fixing, though more stable, may affect the accuracy of the sensor due to magnetic field interference. By comparing a-t graphs under different fixing methods, it was found that the graphs fluctuated significantly and the data had large dispersion when the fixing was unstable; whereas, when the fixing was, the graphs were smooth and the data accuracy was high. In addition, the students also discussed other sources of error, such as the precision limit of the mobile phone sensor itself the influence of ambient temperature on the sensor, and the unreasonable setting of the data sampling frequency, and proposed corresponding improvement measures, such as choosing a higher precision sensor, optimizing the design the fixing device, and setting the sampling frequency reasonably, finally forming a detailed error source analysis report.

3.3 Effect Evaluation

NERS Evaluation (National Experiment Rubrics Score

Cost Comparison： 

4. Discussion: Transferability and Challenges of the Model

4.1 Innovative Value

Techn Democratization: By reducing the digital threshold to "zero device cost" (utilizing students' existing mobile phones) and developing lightweight, low-traffic mobile applications, it ensures students can conveniently access learning resources and participate in interactive activities even in schools or home environments with limited resources. This effectively solves the problems of insufficient equipment and high cost in traditional digital teaching making technology truly serve every student and achieving a preliminary exploration of educational equity.

Localized Adaptation: Combined with urban facilities in Korea (subway, landmark buildings) such as using Seoul's subway route map for spatial cognitive training in geography courses, and combining landmark buildings such as Gyeongbokgung Palace to tell relevant historical events history courses, it enhances cultural proximity, closely linking abstract knowledge points with students' daily life, enhancing interest and memory effects in learning, and also cultivating students' sense of identity pride in local culture.

Assessment Innovation: Replacing pen-and-paper tests with digital reports can not only comprehensively record students' performance in project-based learning, cooperation, creative expression, etc., but also present students' thinking development trajectory and ability improvement through data analysis, echoing the requirements of South Korea's "Creative Practice" policy for cultivating students' innovative thinking, practical ability and comprehensive quality, and promoting the transformation of education evaluation from a single result-oriented to a process-oriented, evaluation, more scientifically reflecting students' comprehensive quality.

4.2 Practical Challenges and Countermeasures

Challenge 1: Mobile phone use sparks classroom management → Countermeasure: Develop a "Classroom Digital Tools Use Convention"; This convention clearly defines the use time, use scenarios, and violation handling mechanism of mobile phones in classroom, such as stipulating that mobile phone related applications can be turned on during the experimental data collection link, while during the theoretical explanation time, mobile phones need to be turned off placed in designated areas, balancing the application of technology with classroom discipline through system norms to ensure that teaching order is not disturbed.

Challenge 2: Differences in mobile phone of rural students → Countermeasure: School spare low-end sensors (unit price < 50,000 won); In view of the situation that some rural have low mobile phone configurations and cannot run professional sensor applications smoothly, the school has purchased simple physical sensors with a unit price of less than 50,000 won such as basic acceleration sensors, temperature sensors, etc., which can be connected to ordinary mobile phones via Bluetooth and transmit data to the teaching platform in real time, to ensure that students can participate in the experiment operation and avoid learning opportunities caused by device differences.

Challenge 3: Insufficient teacher training in technology → Response: Develop the “3-hour crash course” (ready adopted and promoted by the Korean Ministry of Education); this course focuses on the core skills that teachers urgently need to master, such as the basic operation of sensor data collection software the usage of mobile experiment data visualization tools, and how to integrate sensor experiments with physics course content to design teaching cases, etc., adopting the form of video demonstration   practical exercises to help teachers quickly master the application of digital teaching tools. The Korean Ministry of Education has included it in the compulsory content of continuing education for teachers and promoted its use nationwide, improving teachers' technical application capabilities.

5. Conclusion

The LTHE model proves that digital transformation does not necessarily rely on high technology, but on the educational adaptability of. By tapping into the research potential of smartphones and making full use of local resources, Korean high school physics teachers can build a low-cost, high-efficiency digital classroom. Specifically as a mobile terminal with a high penetration rate, the built-in camera, accelerometer, gyroscope, and other function modules of smartphones, combined with low-cost sensors can meet the needs for data collection and phenomenon observation in physics experiments; at the same time, relying on the existing STEAM education resources and teacher training system in Korea, further lowers threshold for digital transformation. In the future, it is worth further exploring the integration path of sensor technology with the Korean STEAM curriculum, such as combining sensor experiment projects with inter content such as engineering design and art creation, to cultivate students' comprehensive innovation capabilities and promote the development of physics teaching towards a direction that emphasizes more on practice and innovation.

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