Factors influencing the achievement of Year 12 physics students in Malang, Indonesia

Abstract

Even though physics plays essential roles in human life in several aspects, there are still several challenges to overcome in physics education in Indonesia. The challenges can be seen from students’ physics achievement in Indonesia based on the PISA or TIMSS dataset. In both studies, Indonesian students’ achievement can be grouped into low-end ability students. This shows that there could be some issues that may influence students’ achievement in physics. In addition, this study can be said as the pioneer of the study with the main focus of Year 12 students rarely conducted in Indonesia. The more we can identify the factors influencing physics achievement, attracting new fresh students to physics or physics-related studies at university level will be achievable. This study employed an embedded mixed-method design to investigate the factors influencing physics achievement of the students. A multistage random sample method was used that stratified the cohort of Year 12 students in Malang, Indonesia. Out of 473 students in total, 20 teachers and 19 school principals participated in this study. Furthermore, this study used convenience sampling to select the participants of the interview. Eight teachers and 20 students participated in the interview. This study investigated and identified the extent of students’ conceptual knowledge and understanding of students by using a diagnostic test adapted from the 2014 physics national examination. Furthermore, their understanding was linked to factors collected by using questionnaires. Moreover, this study proposed a model for investigating the effects of the factors on physics achievement. This study found Dynamics, Kinematics, Fluid, Thermodynamics, Wave, and Temperature and Heat are difficult topics for students. It means that students generally could not handle abstract topics. It is supported by the finding that measurement can be considered as an easy topic, which is a concrete topic. Interestingly, both Dynamics and Kinematics are considered as both difficult and easy items which depend on the types of the problems. This study also found that students’ self-confidence significantly influenced physics achievement. Interestingly, other factors, including the frequency of physics homework assigned by the teacher and students’ aspirations in their future education, also influenced physics achievement. This study also found that there was interaction between teachers’ major education with the effect of students’ self-confidence in influencing physics achievement. In addition, this study found that the main objective of the teachers is to help the students facing the national examination. As a result, most of the teachers assigned paper-based homework. It is supported by the finding of student’s interviews which showed that only students learning at School D assigned with project-based homework which is the most participants’ favourite homework type. The interviews also revealed that the certification program did not show a direct effect on the quality of the education, but it is influenced by teachers’ attitudes instead. In addition, students thought that physics is an important subject for their future studies, but they did not recognise the role of physics in their life.