The Implementation of Guided Discovery Learning Using Virtual Lab Simulation To Reduce Students’ Misconception on Mechanical Wave

Abstract

Abstract This study aims to determine the effectiveness of the implementation of guided discovery learning with virtual lab: Physics Education Technology (PhET) simulation in reducing students’ misconceptions in mechanical wave physics. The design of this study was pre-experimental design with One Group Pretest-Posttest Design. This research was conducted in Mojokerto, East Java, Indonesia. Thirty five 11th grade high school students and one teacher participated in this study. This study applied the certainty of response index (CRI) with Two-tier Diagnostic Test to determine students’ misconception. An analysis of differences in the average of misconception between pretest and posttest and also normalized gain analysis had been performed to find out the effectiveness of guided discovery learning implemetation towards students’ misconception reduction. The treatment was declared effective if the average of misconception in pretest was greater than the postest and the normalized gain was negative, which meant there was a decrease in misconception minimum in the moderate category ( <g> ⩽ -0,3 ). The results showed that in the initial tests the 3 highest students’ misconceptions occured on the concepts: wavelength, wave velocity and the nature of the wave. But the implementation of guided discovery learning was able to reduce students’ misconceptions significantly. Based on the statistical analysis of T test, it was found that t count > t table with α = 0.05 with 1.96 > 1.71. This meant that there were significant differences in average misconception. Through gain analysis, it is also known that <g> = -1,13 where the average misconception at pretest is 53,33% to 19,55% for posttest. This decrease was included in the high category. According to these analysis results, the application of the Guided Discovery Learning model using Virtual Lab. PhET was able to reduce students’ misconceptions.