SonjaWidya Aprillya, Ahmad Hafidudin, Wifa Alifatun Nisa, azrisa Mutia, Adam Malik

UNDERSTANDING RESISTIVITY THROUGH INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING IN PHYSICS EDUCATION

Introduction

Understanding resistivity through inquiry-based learning in physics education. Explore how inquiry-based learning improves 10th-grade students' understanding of electrical resistivity in physics. Hands-on experiments foster conceptual gains and scientific literacy.

Abstract

Abstracts This study aims to explore the effectiveness of inquiry-based learning in improving students’ conceptual understanding of electrical resistivity within the context of physics education. Many students struggle to comprehend the relationship between resistance, length, and cross-sectional area of conductors, often due to abstract instruction and a lack of hands-on experience. To address this, a classroom-based experimental activity was designed where students investigated resistivity using Ohm’s Law and direct measurements of voltage and current. The participants, consisting of tenth-grade science students, conducted experiments using wires of varying dimensions and calculated resistivity values. Pretest and posttest assessments were administered to evaluate conceptual gains, and the results showed a moderate to high increase in understanding based on normalized gain (N-gain) scores. The findings highlight that inquiry-based methods enable students to engage in authentic scientific practices such as observation, data collection, and analysis. The novelty of this study lies in its integration of low-cost, accessible experiments into structured inquiry learning, proving that conceptual depth can be achieved without sophisticated equipment. The results suggest that applying inquiry-based strategies in physics classrooms can enhance students’ scientific literacy, problem-solving abilities, and critical thinking, contributing to meaningful and effective science education.

Review

The study, "Understanding Resistivity Through Inquiry-Based Learning in Physics Education," presents a compelling investigation into improving students' conceptual understanding of electrical resistivity. Addressing a common pedagogical challenge where abstract instruction often hinders comprehension of the relationship between resistance, length, and cross-sectional area, the authors implemented a classroom-based inquiry activity. This involved tenth-grade science students conducting hands-on experiments with varying wires, utilizing Ohm's Law and direct measurements. The findings, evidenced by moderate to high normalized gain (N-gain) scores from pretest and posttest assessments, indicate a significant enhancement in students' understanding. This work is highly relevant to physics education, offering a practical and effective approach to a notoriously difficult concept. A key strength of this research lies in its effective application of inquiry-based learning to a specific and challenging topic in physics. The abstract highlights the novelty of integrating low-cost, accessible experiments into a structured inquiry framework, demonstrating that deep conceptual understanding is achievable without expensive equipment – a crucial consideration for many educational settings. By engaging students in authentic scientific practices such as observation, data collection, and analysis, the study successfully fosters not only conceptual gains but also broader scientific literacy, problem-solving abilities, and critical thinking. The quantitative measure of N-gain scores provides robust evidence for the intervention's positive impact, reinforcing the value of hands-on, student-centered approaches in science education. While the abstract provides a strong overview, a full manuscript would benefit from further elaboration on several methodological aspects to enhance its rigor and impact. Greater detail regarding the specific design of the inquiry activities, the level of scaffolding provided to students, and the nature and validation of the pretest and posttest instruments would be valuable. For instance, understanding the specific types of conceptual understanding assessed and how they relate to the observed gains would strengthen the findings. Additionally, while the "low-cost" aspect is a significant advantage, further discussion of potential limitations, such as sample size, duration of the intervention, or the specific context of the participating school, would provide a more complete picture of the study's generalizability and implications for broader educational policy.

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