Abstract
This research aims to analyze the profile of students’ problem-solving ability in problems of optical instruments. This survey research involved 65 students class XI of MAN 3 Yogyakarta. The research instrument was in the form of 3 problem-solving questions in the form of a description. The results showed the percentage of students in the expert category was still relatively low at 30,7% and the students in the novice category were quite high at 69,3% so that students’ overall physics problem-solving abilities were relatively low. In this research, some student difficulties were still found, one of which was in determining the focus of the right lens for patients with eye disorders to use glasses and determine magnification when using a magnifying glass. Efforts to implement innovative learning are needed to improve problem-solving abilities in overcoming students’ physics problems.
Highlights
Physics has an essential role in human life as a fundamental science with characteristics that cover the scientific foundations of facts, concepts, principles, laws, postulates, theories, and methodologies of science (Mundilarto 2010; Prihatiningtyas, Prastowo & Jatmiko 2013)
Often students choose strategies that are less appropriate in solving physics problems, so students’ ability to evaluate problems is still low (Sutiadi et al 2016; Hamdani, Mursyid, Sirait & Etkina 2017)
The above calculation results show that the average score of the problem-solving ability of 65 students is 1,78 from the range of scores 0 to 4
Summary
Physics has an essential role in human life as a fundamental science with characteristics that cover the scientific foundations of facts, concepts, principles, laws, postulates, theories, and methodologies of science (Mundilarto 2010; Prihatiningtyas, Prastowo & Jatmiko 2013). Characteristics of optical concepts that are abstract require high thinking skills such as problem-solving to understand theories and compare them with the symptoms of daily life (Sutiadi & Nurwijayaningsih 2016; Nugraha, Kirana, Utari, Kurniasih, Nurdini, & Sholihat 2017; Nurhayati & Angraeni 2017). Students’ understanding of related concepts shows that the majority of most students have constraints in physics learning, including misunderstandings stating that light comes out of the eye to objects in the process of vision (Uzun, Alev & Karal 2013). Students do not understand the concepts behind mathematical equations and have difficulty in determining the magnification of shadows on the magnifying glass (Suniati, Sadia & Suhandana 2013; Rokhmah, Sunarno & Masykuri 2017).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
