Do Prospective Science Teachers Experience Misconception? Identification Using a Digital Biological Macromolecules Three-Tier Test (BM-3T) Ni Wayan Suriani (a), Brian Ricard Wola (a*), Reinhard Komansilan (b)
a) Study Program of Science Education, State University of Manado, Jalan Kampus Unima, Minahasa 95618, Indonesia
*brianwola[at]unima.ac.id
b) Study Program of Informatics Engineering, Sam Ratulangi University, Jalan Kampus Unsrat, Manado 95115, Indonesia
Abstract
Misconceptions about scientific concepts are experienced not only among high school students but also among students at the university level. Prospective science teachers must take the General Biology I course, where the topic of biological macromolecules is an abstract concept and potentially causes misconceptions. This study aims to identify prospective science teachers^ misconceptions about biological macromolecules using a three-tier test form called the digital biological macromolecules three-tier test (BM-3T). We administered sixteen items on digital BM-3T to 73 students majoring in Science Education at the State University of Manado. This research is a type of quantitative descriptive research. Samples that we obtained using the purposive sampling technique. The results showed that we identified 14 misconceptions on biological macromolecules topic, with details of 4 misconceptions being in the high category, while 10 misconceptions were in the medium category. ^The steroid is a lipid molecule with hydrophilic properties because one end is polar^ is a misconception with the highest percentage (63.01%). Nevertheless, the misconceptions of prospective science teachers on the topic of biological macromolecules as a whole are in the medium category (38.70%). These findings suggest that lecturers must diagnose possible misconceptions about macromolecular biology before the course is carried out to design learning strategies and methods that can reduce and avoid misconceptions of prospective science teachers.
