THE EFFECT OF PROJECT-BASED COLLABORATIVE LEARNING ON CONCEPT MASTERY OF MUSHROOM: THE CASE OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN INDONESIA

Abstract

Biology learning is highly recommended to be presented contextually following daily experience and phenomena. This study, a quasi-experimental research using a pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group design, aimed to understand the effect of project-based collaborative learning towards the concept mastery of mushrooms. The subjects of the study were 75 tenth grade of high school students in Surakarta City, Indonesia, divided into two classes: 38 students in the experimental class 37 in the control class. In the experimental class, the students were treated with project-based collaborative learning strategies. In project-based collaborative learning strategy, students were challenged to create a project on oyster mushroom cultivation (Pleurotus ostreatus) With the media garden waste such as sawdust. In the control class, the students were treated with direct instruction. The instrument used was a multiple-choice test and essay developed by researchers to measure students' concept mastery towards mushrooms. Research data were analyzed by independent sample t-test. The results found that the average n-gain score for the experimental and the control classes were 63.09% and 45.73%, respectively. Moreover, all indicators of mushroom concept mastery showed the n-gain scores for the experimental class higher than the control class. Analysis of independent sample t-test proved that the significant differences existed between direct instruction and project-based collaborative learning in improving the concept mastery of mushroom. Finally, This research concluded that project-based collaborative learning is more effective in enriching the concept mastery than direct instruction.