Understanding the prospective physics teachers conception of the characteristic of sound

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the level of conceptual understanding of prospective teacher students of sound characteristics. This research was descriptive. The subjects were students of Physics Education at Sriwijaya University and Lambung Mangkurat University who participated in wave courses totaling 69 people. The data were collected using a previously developed diagnostic test instrument and modified according to research needs. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results showed the percentage of conceptual understanding possessed by the respondents (1) 52.17% on pitch and loudness of sound waves from two people shouting simultaneously; (2) 42.11% on the speed of sound wave propagation; (3) 2.90% on the wave superposition concept; and (4) 5.80% on sound reflection. There are still misconceptions occur, the velocity of propagation of sound waves is influenced by the amplitude and frequency of the sound, and a dust particle in front of the sound source will move influenced by the sound’s loudness. Overall, the level of conceptual understanding of some of the characteristics of sound wave concepts varies, and alternative concepts are still emerging, so it needs learning innovations to overcome these problems.