The Profile of Misconceptions among Science Subject Student-Teachers in Primary Schools

Abstract

Students’ different background knowledge determines their quality of conceptions towards a specific subject in college. This research sought to uncover the profile of misconceptions experienced by 48 students of Primary School Teaching Major, studying Science in University of Muhammadiyah Gresik. The educational background of the students in high school were different. They came from natural science, social science and culinary departments and were divided into three groups accordingly. The identification method used was CRI (Certainty of Response Index) which is a model of correct and incorrect statements accompanied by reasons and level of confidence in answering questions. The research instrument was also supported by interviews. The findings of the study were: (1) The misconception of natural science was experienced by all the three students; (2) of the three groups, natural science students had the lowest misconception compared with the social science and culinary students; (3) the causes of misconceptions of natural sciences were related to improper answers due to certain terms and expressions; the relationship between the concept and meaning of the sentence which is too general or too narrow; not understanding the concept completely, lack of curiosity in doing exam items, never studying the concept before, and the incomplete delivery concept of high school teachers; and finally (4) psychological factors that accompany the occurrence of misconceptions included the feeling of tense and embarrassment in the interview of this research. The researcher suggests that there should be a matriculation program of five major subjects in the department of Primary School Teaching Major especially in the first year of courses supported by the reasonable ratio of students in one class that meets its capacity. Keywords: Misconception, CRI (Certainty of Response Index), Primary School Teaching, Science Subject