Virtual Laboratory to Improve Students’ Conceptual Understanding in Physics Learning

Abstract

Students' conceptual understanding is the main outcome of all education in the world. Students must be able to understand the concept well in order to apply their knowledge in daily life. One of the efforts to improve the conceptual understanding is through computer-based learning. This study aims to improve the students' conceptual understanding of physics by using the virtual laboratory. The participants of this study were students from three different senior high schools. The students were divided into three experimental groups and three control groups. The research instrument used was multiple choice forms. The results indicated that the use of virtual laboratory gave a positive effect on students' conceptual understanding. The final test result showed that the experimental group got a higher score than the control group. Data analysis was based on the number of students' correct answers in every cognitive aspect. The result of the analysis in every cognitive aspect showed that in each school, students were able to answer the questions correctly on aspects of C1 (remembering), C2 (knowing), C3 (applying), and C4 (analyzing). While on the aspects of C5 (evaluating) and C6 (creating) still needed to be improved.