Student^s Perception on Water Cycle in Palembang-South Sumatera Meilinda*, Annisa Salsabila, Diah Wulandari, Khoiron Nazip, Riyanto,
Departement of Biology education, University of Sriwijaya
Abstract
Students^ understanding of the water cycle will affect their behavior towards the water. This study aims to explore the perceptions of junior high school students about the water cycle. The research sample consisted of 73 junior high school students grades 7-9 from 6 schools with A, B, and C accreditations in Palembang South Sumatera. Data were collected quantitatively using 14 questions specifically developed for this study. The data were retrieved using Google Form. It was found that although the seventh-grade students had learned about the water cycle, they had an incomplete picture of the water cycle as shown by only 5% of them who can name all the water cycle processes. They think that evaporation comes only from water bodies such as lakes and seas. Although 24 students believe that plants play a role in the water cycle, it is not in the form of transpiration but the ability to hold water in the soil during infiltration. The students cannot understand the global water cycle. Only 2 students answer how rain can occur in a desert. An incomplete understanding of the water cycle is also found in the detailed processes in each process such as evaporation, cloud formation, and freezing and melting of water at the poles. When the students were asked to relate human activities to the quality of water resources, 49 of them could not answer. Although they considered water to be important for living things and need to be protected, only one student answered that the amount of water that can be consumed is limited and will decrease if it is not taken care of. This study implies that further research needs to be done on developing the cognitive abilities of junior high school students to understand the cyclical water cycle.
Keywords: Student^s Perception, Water cycle, South Sumatera
