The analysis of students’ ability in solving physics problems using multiple representations

Abstract

The ability and skills of students in using multiple representations determine the level of students’ physics problem solving abilities. Students’ thinking ability in solving physics problems tends to vary. Therefore, this study was conducted to analyze the students’ ability to solve physics problems by using multiple representations. The type of research was a qualitative research which utilized qualitative descriptive approach. The subjects in this study were 19 students of class XI Science An-Nahl MA Negeri Insan Cendikia Palu City in the 2019/2020 academic year. Respondents in this study were 6 students selected based on the high, medium, and low categories obtained from the results of the respondent selection test. The instruments used in this study were multiple choice tests, problem-solving tests, and interview guides. Based on the results of this study, the students’ physics problem solving ability was categorized in the poor category with the acquisition of an average score in percentage of 37.89%, while for the highest average multi-representation ability of each representation, namely pictures, graphics, mathematics, and verbal, students tended to be able to use image representations with a percentage of 38.75%. However, this percentage was still categorized as low.