Instrument for Assessing Project-based Problem-solving Skills in Biotechnology: Analysis of Practicality and Effectiveness

Abstract

This research investigates the practicality and effectiveness of an instrument for assessing project-based problem-solving skills in the biotechnology topic in the Merdeka Curriculum. Although several research have been conducted on the analysis of problem-solving skills in the context of biology topics, specific measurements in biotechnology remain very limited, given that biotechnology learning requires students to solve real-world problems as part of 21st century skills. This research is part of a holistic project to develop an instrument for assessing project-based problem-solving skills in biotechnology, in which the previously identified feasible instrument were tested with 72 students to assess their practicality and effectiveness. Using a practicality questionnaire, an average of 96.07% across ease of use, attractiveness, and efficiency of use was obtained, indicating that students found the developed instrument practical for learning. Meanwhile, the effectiveness, as assessed through statistical analysis, showed an n-gain of 0.4882, which falls within the moderate category, indicating that the use of the developed project-based instrument was moderately effective in improving students’ problem-solving skills in biotechnology. The results of the research imply that the practical-proven instrument can provide students with opportunities to explore problems in biotechnology,develop alternative solutions to the problems they explore, and produce products that apply related concepts through project-based learning.