Analogy strategy: Improving process skills and understanding science concepts of electric circuit materials

Abstract

The electricity and magnetism course consists of combined conceptual material from the concepts of electricity and magnetism and has a broad coverage. Theoretically explaining that electrical phenomena and their properties is an important part of teaching physics at various levels, then electricity is an area of ​​physics that students find much more difficult to understand than mechanics. This electricity material, especially the dynamic electricity sub-topic, is one of the mandatory subjects which is classified as difficult and has abstract characteristics. Analogy is considered a way that can help students visualize abstract concepts and assimilate new knowledge to existing cognitive structures. In education, where research on analogies should focus on their role in the learning process rather than emphasizing cognitive transfer between unfamiliar and familiar domains. Understanding by utilizing analogies is included in higher level thinking compared to direct memorization. This is one of the higher order thinking skills, namely scientific process skills, because in an effort to improve them, students need to find, interpret and assess evidence in various conditions encountered and are known as procedural, experimental skills and scientific investigation abilities. The aim of this research is to train analogy strategies in practicing science process skills and students' understanding of concepts in electrical circuit material. The trial was carried out on a limited basis on prospective science teacher students at one of the universities in Indonesia with data collected in the form of implementation of the use of analogy strategies in practicing science process skills and students' understanding of concepts.