Physically based learning activities through recreation are assisted by I-Bird Apps in improving identification skills

Abstract

The ability of self-efficacy and self-regulation is important for students to have, both of Smartphone technology advancements can create with various applications specifically designed to support the learning process. Smart-content can be designed and used as a tool to help the learning process. This study aims to improve the identification skills of prospective biology teachers utilizing a smartphone application in physical-based learning activities through recreation. Applications are design and created specifically to identify birds in zoology vertebrate lectures. We made the application named i-Bird app, in which there is content about birds. This study used the quasi-experimental method with a randomized control group pretest-posttest design. They have involved as many as 82 students divided into two groups. Forty-four students use the i-Bird application (BA) and 38 students use the guidebook (GB). The results showed that the student's identification skills increased significantly, BA (n-gain = 0.75) with a high category and GB (n-gain = 0.42) included in the medium category. The results of the t-test analysis (p-value = .001) showed that there was a significant difference in student identification skills between BA and GB. The results of this study can provide information that the use of smartphone applications that are precisely designed by the needs will be able to achieve maximum results. Specially designed smartphone applications have positive implications in developing innovative learning. Keywords: identification skills; i-Bird application; birds; physical-based learning.