Students’ understanding of electric fields in the context of multiple representation

Abstract

Abstract This study aims to describe physics students’ understanding of the concept of electric fields through a multi-representation review in a qualitative way. This research is a qualitative research using test and interview techniques to obtain the data. The research subjects consisted of 6 students from Physics Education department. The test used is an essay test which includes indicators of translation, interpretation and extrapolation on the concept of an electric field. The more in-depth interviews with respondents related to the concept of the electric field were carried out in this study. Based on data analysis, it can be concluded that students’ conceptual understanding is in the moderate category. The highest scores obtained are in translation, interpretation, and extrapolation respectively, which show that the level of indicator complexity affects student achievement. This research implies that the poor conceptual understanding of students on extrapolation indicators caused by the lack of creativity in students’ thinking in exploring the whole information presented on a particular issue. Thus, a learning method that priorities high-level critical thinking skills is extremely needed.