 |
Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 20, Issue 2, Article 8 (Jun., 2021) |
Natural Science is one of the subjects in Junior High School included in the PISA program. Students were expected to be able to understand the knowledge content, context and its implementation (Utami, Saputro, & Masykuri, 2016). Bahri et al. (2021) stated that science was important to develop the human resources quality. On of the lesson in Natural Science is the Chemistry lesson. Chemistry materials in junior high school are introduced starting from the smallest material, namely atoms. Students are introduced to the composition, structure, and properties of substances or from the atomic to molecular and compound scales. In addition, students really need this knowledge because in their daily lives they can not be separated from the chemicals they consume, the need for clothing and boards. Therefore, only through their scientific abilities, they can use their knowledge to lead a better life. Given the complexity and very abstract nature of chemistry, the teacher has carried out comprehensive learning by giving assignments and looking for examples of chemicals that are around them. This learning activity serves to direct students to organize and identify and analyze the relationship between the assigned chemistry and the materials that are around them on a daily basis, so that in the end they have the ability to express and make conclusions from the results of learning in class and in the environment obtained.
One of the studies that measured the literacy ability of chemical science is PISA which is conducted every three years. To measure chemical science literacy, there are three competency indicators, namely explaining phenomena scientifically, evaluating and designing scientific questions, and interpreting data and evidence scientifically. The implementation of the three indicators for students is the meaning of scientific knowledge, the ability to organize and interpret data and information, improve students' ability to reflect and draw conclusions from the results of their learning experiences. Based on the latest PISA study report in 2018, the achievement of students' scientific literacy scores in Indonesia decreased with a score of only 396. From the results of the report score of the study, it can be concluded that the scientific literacy ability of students in Indonesia is still relatively low.
The results of chemistry lessons for students in junior high school are also very low, they have difficulty to understand related to an atom in forming a compound, it is difficult to interpret the meaning and difference between atomic number and atomic mass. This situation makes it difficult for students to understand the formation of a compound, even though theoretically they memorize the meaning of atom, ion, atomic number and atomic mass. Students studying chemistry are only limited to the demands of the curriculum, so students are forced to take chemistry lessons, and the results are very unsatisfactory.
The others difficulties in learning chemistry were caused by the characteristics of the chemical material itself which seems to be difficult, lack of interest and motivation to learn and no encouragement for the students to learn both from within themselves, or from outside such as family, friends or the surrounding community (Abdul, 2013). This is in line with Bahri & Corebima (2015) who stated that learning motivation was contributed to students’ achievements. Interest to read or write and analyze in understanding the lesson was still low. On the other hand, now in the era of global competition, the students inevitably have to follow the quality requirements of education as a determinant of the future, one of which is measured through PISA. In the PISA 2009, reading literacy test, Indonesia ranked 57th out of 65 participating countries with a score of 402 from the standard score of 493. Finally in PISA 2015 based on text, Indonesia ranked 64th out of 72 participant countries with a score of 397 out of a specified score of 450.
The science literacy was the ability to use scientific knowledge, identify questions, and draw conclusions based on evidence, in order to understand and make decisions regarding nature and changes made to nature through human activities (OECD, 2003). To be successful in life, students must have good scientific literacy skills (Hernawati, et. al., 2019), and thinking skills (Bahri, et al., 2021). This understanding could be interpreted in detail as scientific knowledge and skills to be able to identify questions, obtain new knowledge, explain scientific phenomenon, and draw conclusions based on facts, understand the characteristics of science, awareness of how science and technology shape the natural, intellectual, and cultural environment, and will to get involved and care about issues related to science (Literacy Association, 2016).
Furthermore, the OECD mentions four aspects of PISA science literacy, namely: 1) aspects of context such as personal, local/national and global issues, both current and past, which require an understanding of science and technology, 2) aspects of knowledge in the form of an understanding of facts, concepts, and theories of the main explanations that form the basis of scientific knowledge, 3) aspects of competence, namely the ability to explain phenomena scientifically, evaluate and design scientific investigations, and interpret data and facts scientifically, and 4) aspects of attitude namely attitudes towards science that are indicated by an interest in science and technology, assessing the appropriate scientific approach to an investigation, as well as perceptions and awareness of environmental problems. Especially for Chemistry course, literacy required not only the result of thinking (mind-on) but also the ability of skills (hands-on) and attitude (Eilks, Sjöström, & Hofstein, 2017). This literacy ability was a part of 21st century skills that begins with the curriculum program for all subjects by implementing literacy strategies in learning that refer to higher order thinking skills (HOTS and high-level reasoning skills) (Muhammad, 2018; Bahri, et al., 2019).
The big effort of teachers and parents as the main companion who strongly supports the child's learning achievement is needed to enhance the students’ achievements include scientific literacy. One way is the simultaneous collaboration of teachers and parents. Teachers should maximize the use of models/methods of teaching in depth and more widespread application in daily life as a content application, like discovery, inquiry learning models, problem-based learning (Listiana & Bahri, 2019). But the reality has not been maximally done, not yet applied totally by the teacher in each learning because of inequality between the task of the teacher in the classroom with the task of the teacher as a substitute for laboratory workers who prepare practicum needs. The concepts of these learning models are still in the form of discourse and archives as plans for implementing teacher learning. Through learning with discovery models or project work, students will be trained to find and solve their own problems found according to their abilities and potential. Teachers should create a comprehensive understanding for students to achieve learning goals (Shwartz, Ben-Zvi, & Hofstein, 2006).
The results of observations in a number of junior high schools in South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, in April to May 2019 specifically for Chemistry course, it seems that learning still needs to use an appropriate model, at least using an effective direct learning model used for a greater number of students. Much earlier, the results of Al-Shammari's research (2008) have also found that students lack of the opportunity to explore understanding, the teacher only gives questions classically and do not provide adequate explanations that further confuse them. Less of active learning methods than can encourage students to ask questions and answer. The questions posed by the teacher are still at the cognitive level of remembering and understanding (C1 and C2). Students have not been led to study at a high cognitive level such as application, analysis or synthesis levels, as the characteristics of literacy questions with an assessment target are reading comprehension, mathematics and natural science lessons. The test items were created by combining the problem-solving process with the collaboration of competency solving.
In each subject matter it is possible to lead students to think at a high level. For example in the chemistry course, matter of atoms, ions and molecules could be created in various forms of understanding (Joelipoo, 2012) starting from marking the symbol with the name of the element, giving exercise the ionization process and predicting the reason, writing the symbol of the element itself, training associating the element symbol of a compound with the name of the compound appropriately, and other creativeness that gives rise to intersecting thoughts so that students' understanding is really strong.
The Indonesian education curriculum emphasizes the achievement of learning for students on three abilities, namely cognitive abilities from the level of remember to the level of create, attitude (affective), mental and psychomotor skills (Bloom’s Taxonomy) (Bloom, 1956). In this study the focus of the study is on scientific literacy skills that emphasize aspects of knowledge and aspects of science competence in junior high school students on atomic, ionic and molecular materials. So the purpose of this study is to find out how much the ability of chemistry literacy in the aspects of knowledge and science competence of the junior high school students in South Sulawesi.
