Active and experiential learning are educational approaches that prioritize student engagement over passive absorption of information. Experiential learning allows students to actively explore concepts, conduct experiments and analyze outcomes, while active learning refers to a broader set of instructional strategies including discussions, problem-solving tasks and the use of digital tools to interact with content dynamically. The significance of these approaches in education lies in their ability to foster deeper understanding, engagement and motivation among students, especially in science education where students explore abstract or complex phenomena.

Wetting phenomena refer to the interaction between a liquid and a solid surface, where the liquid spreads or forms a droplet. The basic concepts are the contact angle and the surface tension. The factors that are affecting wetting are the surface roughness, the surface chemistry, the surface energy (i.e., the balance between cohesive forces between liquid molecules and adhesive forces between liquid to solid), the temperature and the viscosity of the liquid. Wetting plays an important role in various fields (e.g., materials science, biology, engineering, and environmental science).

Wetting phenomena present an advantageous topic for promoting active and experiential learning due to their inherently interdisciplinary nature and their strong connection to real-world applications. Additionally, this subject is well-suited for hands-on experimentation and interactive simulations, offering an excellent opportunity for students to conduct their own investigations and refine their understanding through iterative experimentation.

In this study, a 5E-based teaching approach for wetting phenomena was designed and implemented using interactive simulations developed by the authors to enhance student engagement and conceptual understanding through active and experiential learning. The intervention was conducted with 30 middle and high-school students, attending a science club.

The 5E model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Extend, Evaluate) was used to effectively teach wetting phenomena through three interactive simulations in GeoGebra. The first simulation introduces the concept of contact angle and wettability on smooth surfaces, the second focus on surface tension forces, and the third explores the effects of surface roughness. In the “Engage” phase, students observed water droplets on various surfaces, then in the “Explore” phase, use the first simulation to replicate droplet shapes and measure contact angles. Following a short introduction about the surface tension, in the “Explain” phase, students using the second simulation, develop explanations on how surface tension affects the contact angle. After learning about surface roughness, in the “Extend” phase, students investigate wetting behavior on both smooth and rough surfaces, using the third simulation. Finally, in the “Evaluate” phase, students create posters, integrating the concepts and insights gained throughout the lesson on wetting phenomena.

Keywords: 5E instructional model, active learning, experiential learning, interactive simulations, wetting phenomena.