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Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 19, Issue 1, Article 7 (Jun., 2018) |
This study is qualitative research. The survey was carried out from a subject of pre-service science teachers in Universitas Negeri Surabaya, a teacher training institutes in East Java, Indonesia, by asking number of questions through task-based worksheet and questionnaire.
Participants of this study were 32 pre-service teachers in the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia who took major in Biology Education (12 out of 32) and Chemistry Education (20 out of 32). The participants’ age range was 19-20 years old. These pre-service teachers spent at least two years preparation program to learn about pedagogical skills, educational theory, and subject content of each major. They were also familiar with scientific approach in Curriculum 2013 but they had no actual classroom experience of its implementation. Before this study began, we explained that pre-service teachers’ grades would not be affected by any assignments given during the study.
Research Instrument and Procedure
The data of the study were collected through pre-service teachers’ video-analysis worksheet and questionnaires which examine pre-service teachers’ understanding and perspective on teaching science with scientific approach. There were two instructional videos used in this study: (1) implementation of scientific approach in inquiry-based teaching for chemistry class; and (2) implementation of scientific approach in cooperative learning for biology class. All instructional videos, which were developed by the authors and got a copyright in 2016, were evaluated by three independent educational experts before implementation to the pre-service teachers. The evaluation covered physical dimension of the instructional video (quality of sound, picture, lighting, and texts), content of teaching, relevance of learning outcomes, relevance of scientific approach implementation, and syntax of models of teaching. The total duration of each video was 25-30 minutes. There were lecture notes in the beginning and the ending parts of instructional video, explaining learning syntaxes, principle of scientific approach, and constructivism-view why scientific approach was essential in science education. Some specific scenes which depicted learning phases and scientific approach steps were also captioned to help pre-service teachers notice essential events in classroom.
Instructional videos were simultaneously applied to the two different majors of pre-service teachers: first instructional video (scientific approach with inquiry-based teaching in chemistry classroom) was applied to the group of pre-service teachers majored in chemistry education, while second instructional video (scientific approach with cooperative learning in biology classroom) was applied to the group of pre-service teachers majored in biology education. In the beginning of the session, pre-service teachers were divided into groups to promote peer-discussion. They observed the instructional video as they completed a worksheet to analyse the video content (Susantini, Yonata, Faizah, & Suryanti, 2015) (as in Appendix A). The worksheet encouraged pre-service teachers to discuss which scientific approach steps appeared at each phase of model of teaching and explore any areas of teaching they want to improve in the instructional video. A supervisor (one of authors) also evaluated how the pre-service teachers noticed the scene where each scientific approach step appeared. The pre-service teachers also filled in a questionnaire about the instructional video and whole learning process.
Video 1: Scientific Approach with Inquiry-based Teaching in Chemistry Classroom
One instructional video depicted a model teacher who explained the effect of catalyst to the chemical reaction in chemistry classroom. Inquiry learning was started with phase where teacher compare chemical reaction which used catalyst and which is not through animation. Students were then directed to phenomena of laboratory inquiry in which purple solution consisting H2C2O4, H2SO4, and KMnO4 slowly changed into colourless when MnSO4 was added. The other solution containing the same chemicals without addition of MnSO4 remained purple. Students were led to synthesize the hypothesis that chemical reaction rate, which is indicated by the colour changes, was increased due to the addition of catalyst. Experiment was then continued and the data were recorded to prove whether the hypothesis accepted or rejected. Teacher asked the students to create project about the application of catalyst in everyday life. In the next meeting, the students presented various products representing the use of catalyst. The lesson was ended after teacher concluded what students had learned.
Video 2: Scientific Approach with Cooperative Learning in Biology Classroom
The other one instructional video showed that a biology teacher aimed to explain the effect of acid rain to the living organisms and environment by applying scientific approach in cooperative learning. Cooperative learning initial phases were followed up by laboratory session in which students conducted experiment using provided materials. The purpose of the experiment was to investigate the influence of various level of acidity (pH) with pH range 2, 4, and 6 to green bean germination. Students recorded the data covering number of leaves, the length of the plants, and the number of germinated seeds. They inferred that the bean showed optimum growth in pH 7 and poor growth in lowest pH. This result led students to the conclusion that acid rain damaged the environment and living organisms. After the experiment covering steps of scientific method finished, cooperative learning was preceded to the final phase in which model teacher ask students to creatively draw a poster about how to prevent acid rain. The lesson ended as the teacher announced best group to recognize students’ studying effort and briefly concluded the lesson.
Video-analysis worksheet was used to analyse how the video helps the pre-service teachers aware of the implementation of scientific approach in science classroom. Pre-service science teachers completed the video-analysis worksheet while they observed the video and discussed about the content in groups (in 90 minutes). Answers to the worksheet, which were collected based on the pre-service teachers’ group discussion, were then calculated in percentage. Data about pre-service teachers’ response was collected using questionnaire. The questionnaire was arranged in dichotomous structured statements asking for a Yes/No response. Result of pre-service teachers’ responses were calculated in percentage. There was also an open column in the questionnaire asking for comments to record pre-service teachers’ unstructured response. These comments were described and analysed descriptively to support pre-service teachers’ yes/no statements.
The instructional videos were developed using ASSURE model (Susantini et al, 2016) and got a copyright in 2016. Generally, the videos depicted two teachers who handled different classes namely chemistry and biology class. The teachers used different teaching models namely inquiry-based teaching model for chemistry class and cooperative learning model for biology class. Both videos showed how scientific approach could be used in each model using followed six stages namely observing, questioning, exploring, associating, communicating and creating (Susantini et al, 2016).
In order to ensure the reliability and validity, implementation of the instructional video in pre-service teachers was observed by three independent observers. Observers monitored learning process and classroom interactions between supervisor and pre-service teachers based on 4 points Likert Scaling observation sheet comprising steps how well the instructional video carried out to pre-service teachers. This observation resulted 3.84 points for chemistry classroom and 3.82 points for biology classroom, indicating that implementation of instructional video in teaching scientific approach to pre-service teachers was quite reliable. Data triangulation between video-analysis worksheet and responses was also conducted to check the relevance and the consistency of the result and interpretation.
