Students’ Level of Knowledge of Laboratory Equipment and Materials

Abstract

Biology Laboratory is an essential variable in determining the quality of secondary school output. Sufficient laboratory equipment suitable for teaching in secondary schools helps improve students’ skills. Knowing the equipment and materials in the laboratory supports the students in the learning process in the laboratory. This study aims to identify the level of students’ knowledge of laboratory equipment and materials. It used a survey method with a sample of 106 high school students from grade XI in Yogyakarta. The data were collected by testing the students’ level of knowledge of laboratory equipment and materials. Then, the data were analyzed by calculating the average percentage and grouped them into a range of category values. The results showed that the level of students’ knowledge of the laboratory equipment is quite good; the level of students’ knowledge of the function of laboratory equipment is good; and the level of students’ knowledge of the procedure to use the laboratory equipment is good. Moreover, the level of students’ knowledge of the characteristics of laboratory materials is good and the level of students’ knowledge of the group or categorization of the laboratory materials used in practices for certain subjects is poor. The low knowledge of students about laboratory equipment and materials is due to the lack of time allocation for the teacher’s explanation about the laboratory equipment and materials and the practicum guidelines used do not summarize the laboratory equipment and materials. Therefore, further research is expected to develop practicum guidelines that contain detailed information on laboratory equipment and materials.