Effects of Simulation-Assisted Electronics Instruction on Eighth-Grade Students’ Achievement in Croatian Primary Education

Electronics education is challenging because students must coordinate abstract electrical concepts, circuit representations, physical components, measurements, and observable circuit behavior. This study examined whether teacher-guided simulation integrated with hands-on electronics work was associated with higher achievement. A matched-class quasi-experimental design included 205 Croatian eighth-grade students aged 14–15 years from five primary schools, with one experimental and one control class in each school. Both conditions used the same curriculum content, worksheets, physical components, measuring instruments, and teacher guidance; the experimental condition additionally used teacher-guided Tinkercad Circuits simulation. Achievement was assessed using a pretest, three structured practical worksheets (WS1–WS3), and a posttest. Students in the experimental group achieved higher scores on all practical activities (Cohen’s d = 0.65–0.85) and on the posttest (d = 0.76). Analysis of covariance showed that the posttest difference remained significant after adjustment for baseline knowledge. Sensitivity analyses accounting for school context, classroom clustering, and missing observations produced consistent estimates. The findings suggest that teacher-guided simulation can complement hands-on electronics instruction by supporting connections among circuit configurations, measurements, and observable component behavior without replacing physical practical work.