Students' perception toward mobile computer-based physics laboratory (MCPL)

Abstract

Students learn better with various teaching strategies, related to contextual way and involvement of technology. Low interests among students are caused by students’ perception toward Physics and conventional teaching approach. Besides, laboratory malfunctions and destructible apparatus lead to less number of experiments that can be carried out by the students. Students’ low achievements in Physics reflect low understandings in concepts and experiments should be able to engage the students’ interests in Physics and to attach themselves in science at their tertiary education. Therefore, Mobile Computer-based Physics Laboratory (MCPL) was implemented to 94 Form Four students in Kluang and Kota Tinggi. A survey was carried out using The Instrument to Measure Students’ Perception toward MCPL (IMP-MCPL) which consisted of 18 items. The instrument was administered to the students after six weeks of MCPL intervention. The findings showed that 4.3 % of the students had high positive perception. And 95.7% of the students had middle perception, neither positive nor negative perception. Interviews were carried out to investigate students’ perception. Data triangulation was used to analyze students’ perception in depth. The MCPL gave positive impact to students’ learning, experimenting skills, growing ideas and interacting with other students in the learning process. As a conclusion, MCPL is a way that can be implemented at any place and is convenient for teaching and learning.