Building conceptual understanding of students on laws of Newton through argument-driven inquiry

Abstract

Newton’s law plays an important role in learning mechanics and explaining real-life phenomena, but students find it difficult to understand. This study aimed to build students’ conceptual understanding and to describe students’ difficulties with Newton’s law after the Argument-Driven Inquiry (ADI) model learning process is implemented. This study used a quasi-experiment (pre-and post-test) design Pre- and Post-test design with the research subject of 50 tenth grade students in public high schools in Pamekasan, Indonesia. Students are distributed into the experimental class (ADI learning) and the control class (conventional learning). The instrument of this study was Newton’s law understanding test in the form of reasoned multiple-choice questions with a reliability of 0.82. The research data were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U test, ANCOVA, N-gain, d-effect, and a description of the reasons for students’ answers. The results showed that conceptual understanding was not influenced by the initial state, but rather influenced by the ADI model. Improved conceptual understanding in the experimental class (medium category) is higher one level compared to the control class (low category). After the learning process, both classes students still have difficulty in the concept of a=F/m and its application, and objects in an inertial frame. However, the difficulties of the conventional class students are compounded by the friction, and Newton’s I, II, and III laws concepts.