UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS’ SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS IN TERMS OF SOME VARIABLES: A PERSPECTIVE FROM INDONESIA

Abstract

This research explored the level of students’ basic and integrated Science Process Skills (SPS) based on their academic majors, gender, and grade levels at the end of a chemistry laboratory course. Convenience sampling was used to select 298 undergraduate students at the Yogyakarta State University, Indonesia. A survey method was used, and the data were collected using the Basic SPS (BSPS) and Integrated SPS (ISPS) Observation Checklist. The results showed that the students’ basic and integrated SPS were considered medium and low respectively. Furthermore, there was a significant gap in the students’ performance based on their majors, gender and grade levels. Surprisingly, it was found that the perception and social convention that males are stronger than females in science appears not to be the case among students. Moreover, there was a moderate positive and significant correlation between students’ basic and integrated SPS. Students with a high basic SPS score had the tendency to obtain a higher integrated SPS score. Therefore, it is concluded that prior to starting lab course activities, lecturers need to determine their students’ process skills in order to plan in such a manner that they can assist to raise their students’ current basic and integrated SPS. Keywords: academic majors, grade levels, science process skills, undergraduate students.