Development of problem solving ability test on the work-energy material

Journal of Education and Learning (EduLearn)
Vol. 13, No. 2, May 2019, pp. 268~276
ISSN: 2089-9823 DOI: 10.11591/edulearn.v13i2.12400  268
Journal homepage: http://journal.uad.ac.id/index.php/EduLearn
Development of problem solving ability test
on the work-energy material
Wartono1
, John Rafafy Batlolona2
, Sutopo3
, Desella Inna Rahmatina4
1
Department of Physics Education, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Universitas Kanjuruhan Malang, Indonesia
2
Department of Teacher Professional Education Study Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education,
Pattimura University, Indonesia
3,4
Department of Physics Education, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia
Article Info ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received Jan 21, 2019
Revised Mar 9, 2019
Accepted Apr 17, 2019
The purpose of this research is to develop test questions of problem solving
ability on work-energy material for high school students class X. This type of
research is research and development. The model used in this study is
ADDIE with the stages of analyzing, planning, developing, implementing,
and evaluating, but this study only up to the implementation stage. The test
developed in this research consists of three items of problem solving ability
description that is multi context. Validation of item was done by content
validation and empirical validation. The results of content validation indicate
that the average score of test items is 3,125 with good category. The results
of empirical validation indicate that there are two valid questions and one
invalid question. Two valid questions have a Cronbach Alpha coefficient of
0.807. The results of the implementation of the test showed that the average
student problem solving abilities in Question 1 is 17.41 of a maximum score
of 25, the lowest score is 10 and the highest is 23. The results of students in
the question number 2 by 16.60 of a maximum score of 25, with the lowest
score is 10 and the highest is 22. These results indicate that the test
instrument is feasible to use to assess students' problem solving abilities.
Keywords:
Problem solving abilities
Work-energy test
Copyright © 2019 Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science.
All rights reserved.
Corresponding Author:
John Rafafy Batlolona,
Department of Teacher Professional Education Study Program,
Pattimura University,
Jalan Dr Tamaela, Unpatti Campus B FKIP, Ambon 97114, Indonesia.
Email: johnrafafybatlolona@gmail.com
1. INTRODUCTION
The ability to solve problems is one of the skills students need to face new challenges in the 21st
century. Students as young scientists and scholars must have good problem solving skills in order to solve all
the problems that exist in life. Problem solving skills are a series of actions to solve a problem [1-3]. There is
a difference between novice and expert in solving problems. If faced with a problem, beginners tend to
determine the appropriate equations for solutions, whereas experts tend to conduct qualitative analysis of the
problem then the results of the analysis provide the appropriate quantitative explanation for the solution [4].
There has been much research in physics education about problem solving abilities. They arethe
identification of students' ability to solve a problem [5], learning strategies that can improve student problem
solving skills [6], and even the development of rubrics to measure student problem solving skills [7]. The
development of the problem solving ability test has also been done by Minnesota University [8]. The
problem developed by Minnesota University is context rich with setting the situation according to the
conditions there. Students in Indonesia find it difficult to understand such problems, therefore it is necessary
to develop a context rich problem that is appropriate to the situation around the students so that students can
easily understand the problem and solve it.

J. Edu. & Learn. ISSN: 2089-9823 
Development of problem solving ability test on the work-energy material (Wartono)
269
The context rich problem is a short story that integrates the everyday phenomena presented in multi-
context. The purpose of using context rich is so that students can be trained to solve problems that are real
life or that they normally experience in life [9]. A context rich problems is complex and requires connection
between concepts in solving it.
Student problem solving skills must be known early in order to know the ways and difficulties in
solving problems, so that teachers can train students to solve problems as the experts do. Therefore, the
development of an instrument to measure problem solving skills is context rich.
The test developed in this research and development is a problem solving test for high school
students on work-energy materials. The selection of the description form is based on the need for information
on how to solve students’ problems and the characteristics of work-energy materials that emphasizes the
drawing of force diagrams in problem solving. In addition, many difficulties experienced by students in
learning work-energy materials such as determining the system and environment, the concept of mechanical
energy, the concept of energy transfer, and so forth. The purpose of this research is to develop problem
solving test instrument for high school students class X on work-energy material. Another goal is to know the
validity and reliability of the test developed.
2. RESEARCH METHOD
This research includes a type of research & development that adapts from the step of the ADDIE
model research (Branch, 2009). The research steps in this model are five (a) analyze (analyzing), (b) design
(planning), (c) develop (development), (d) implement (implementation), and (e) evaluate (evaluation). Steps
taken in this study only until the implementation stage. The total time required in this study is six months ie
from December 2017 to May 2018.
The first stage in this research is analyze. This stage is done by reviewing various existing problem
solving instruments. Heppner & Petersen has developed a mechanical problem solving instrument but is
aimed at students [10]. Hidayat et al has developed a special problem solving instrument for high school
students on vibration, wave and sound materials [11]. Mustofa has developed problem solving instruments
but still refers to the end book chapter question [12]. Heller et al developed a context rich problem solving
instrument on mechanical materials, but it is too difficult to apply to high school students in Indonesia [8].
The problem solving tools developed are short stories and not accompanied by drawings. This makes most
high school students difficult to understand the problem. A context rich problem solving test instrument on
work-energy material for senior high school students in Indonesia is not available yet, therefore the
development of a context rich problem solving test instrument for high school students is performed.
The second stage in this research is design. This stage is done by selecting aspects of the problem
solving ability of students to be measured. There are five aspects measured in this study that adopted from
Doctor et al [13]. The five aspects are useful description, physics approach, specific application of physics,
mathematical procedures, and logical progression. These five aspects become the basic benchmark for
developing the problem solving test instrument.
The third stage in this research is develop (development). Problem solving tests are developed based
on these five aspects. Three items on problem solving tests on work-energymaterial were developed. These
three test questions refer to one indicator that solves the problem of motion of objects using work-energy
concepts. One indicator is used because in context rich problems have applied many concepts in
its completion [14].
After the development of the problem solvingtest is completed, proceed with validation. There are
two validations were done namely content and empirical. Content validation was conducted on two lecturers
of Faculty of Math and Science, State University of Malang that one lecturer was a physics subject and
another lecturer of physics education. The aspects assessed in content validation are the suitability of the item
with the Indicators of Competence Achievement, the difficulty level of the item, the item is easy to
understand and does not give a double interpretation, and the correctness of the concept of the key answer. In
addition to scoring by both validators, they also gave suggestions for the improvement of test instruments.
After the revision is done, proceed with empirical validation. Empirical validation was carried out in grade
XI students of SMA An-Nur Malang, who had taken the work-energy material. Students who made the
respondents amounted to 104 students. This empirical validation aims to determine the level of validity and
reliability of test instruments that have been developed. The validity of each item can be known by
comparing the value of r arithmetic with r table. If rhitung> rtabel item is valid, and vice versa. The degree of
reliability of the instrument is known in the Cronbach Alpha coefficients.
The fourth stage is implementation. The items that are known to be valid and reliable are used to
measure the problem solving ability of high school students. The number of respondents who were given the
test is 68 students of science class X Senior High School An-Nur Malang.

 ISSN: 2089-9823
J. Edu. & Learn. Vol. 13, No. 2, May 2019 : 268 – 276
270
3. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS
This research was conducted with the aim to know the validity and reliability of test problem
solving instruments that have been developed. After the development is completed, content and empirical
validation is done on each item. The result of validation contents by both validators is shown in Table 1.
Based on Table 1, it is known that the average score of 3.125 indicates valid for use. This is also
supported by research by Pradana et al who developed the test instrument with an average content validation
result above 3 and is suitable for use [15]. The suggestions given to content validation are only in items 2 and
3. Suggestions given in the form of orders to improve the order of words in the problem and clarify the
picture. For the sake of refinement of the instrument, an improvement is made according to the suggestion of
the two validators. Although the validation results of the content by both validators are said to be valid,
but this instrument can not be concluded valid and reliable. Therefore, empirical validation is performed.
Table 1. Content validation results by two validators
No Rated aspect Item Question1 Item Question 2 Item Question 3 Average
1
Compliance of items with achievement
indicators of competence
3 3,5 3
3,167
2
Problem can measure students’ problem
solving abilities
3,5 3 3,5
3,333
3 The correctness of the key answer 3 3 3 3
4
The language used is easy to understand and
does not give rise to double meaning
3 3 3
3
Average 3,125 3,125 3,125 3,125
Empirical validation was conducted with 104 respondents randomly selected. Students are given
context rich problem solving question as much as 3 items about work-energy materials that must be done in
70 minutes. After the students did the test, the test results are corrected and analyzed. The results of the
analysis show that from the three given questions, only two are valid and reliable i.e. at number 1 and 2. The
question number 3 has level of difficulty 0.123 that is recommended to be discarded because it is too difficult
for students. Empirical validation results of numbers 1 and 2 are shown in Table 2.
Table 2. Empirical validation results
No. Question
Level of Difficulty Discrimination Power Validation Cronbach's
Alpha
P Note D Note r Note
1 0,302 Medium 0,367 Good 0,943 Valid 0,807
2 0,285 Medium 0,256 Enough 0,899 Valid
According to Table 2, it is known that all rhitung is larger than rtable (0.1622). It can be said that the
two items of context rich problem solving are valid. Having known that both items are valid, then tested the
reliability to determine the level of constancy when used to measure students’problem solving ability. Based
on the calculation, Cronbach Alpha value obtained is 0.807, which means the item have a high level of
constancy [16-17].
There are factors that cause the item is valid and reliable. According to Isyanto et al (2014) [18], the
factors that influence a valid and reliable question are four. The four factors are the items developed in
accordance with the development procedure, the items are developed from the appropriate reference, the item
through the content validation stage, and the items tested empirically on the respondents who are serious in
doing it.
Each item of problem solving test measures the following five aspects: useful description, physics
approach, specific application of physics, mathematical procedures, and logical progression. Point 1 is shown
in Figure 1. The case can be solved by using the mechanical energy of the system with people, springs, and
earth as a single system. The next step is to determine the external force that works on the system. Since the
system consists of people, springs, and Earth, there is no external force acting on the system (applied to the
law of conservation of mechanical energy). The force diagram of the case is shown in Figure 2. The concepts
used are mechanical energy conservation laws.
∆𝐸𝑀 = ∆𝐸𝐾 + ∆𝐸𝑃
𝑔 + ∆𝐸𝑃𝑝;∆EK =
1
2
𝑚(∆𝑣)2
; ∆𝐸𝑃
𝑔 = 𝑚𝑔(∆ℎ); 𝑑𝑎𝑛 ∆𝐸𝑃𝑝 =
1
2
𝑘(∆𝑥)2
.
The calculation of bungee string elasticity constants is done with

J. Edu. & Learn. ISSN: 2089-9823 
271
𝐸𝑀𝐴 = 𝐸𝑀𝐶
𝐸𝐾𝐴 + 𝐸𝑃𝑔𝐴 + 𝐸𝑃𝑠𝐴 = 𝐸𝐾𝐶 + 𝐸𝑃𝑔𝐶 + 𝐸𝑃𝑠𝐶
Because the child in position A and C aremotionless, then:
0 + 𝑚𝑔ℎ𝐴 + 0 = 0 + 𝑚𝑔ℎ𝐶 +
1
2
𝑘(∆𝑥)2
30.10.20 = 30.10.5 +
1
2
𝑘(5)2
6000 = 1500 +
25
2
𝑘
𝑘 = (6000 − 1500)
2
25
𝑘 = 360 N/m
Thus, a bungee string elasticity constant of 360 N / m is required for the bungee strap to be stretched
to 5 m and the child's head does not touch the surface of the pond water.
Figure 1. Item question number 1 Figure 2. Diagram of working forces
on the system
Item 2 is shown in Figure 3. In that case, the car is considered a system. Since the track is two
(italics and plane), the review is divided into two namely the incline (Figure 4) and the flat plane (Figure 5).
The forces acting on the system in the incline are i.e.
a) NormalForce,
𝑁 = 𝑤 cos 𝛼 = 𝑚𝑔 cos 𝛼 = 1000.10
40
50
= 8000 N
b) Earth's gravitational force,
w = 𝑚𝑔 = 1000(10) = 10.000 N

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c) Kinetic frictionforce,
𝑓𝑘 = 𝜇𝑘𝑁 = 0,2 (8000) = 1600 N
While the forces that work on the system in the plane ie
d) Normal Force
𝑁 = 𝑚𝑔 = 1000(10) = 10.000 N
e) Earth's gravitational force
𝑤 = 𝑚𝑔 = 1000 (10) = 10.000 N
f) Kinetic friction style
𝑓𝑘 = 𝜇𝑘𝑁 = 10.000𝜇𝑘 N
Figure 3. Item question number 2
Figure 4. Forces diagram in incline Figure 5. Forces diagrams in the flat field
The case can be solved by kinetic work-energy theorem (W_total = ΔEK) and work is equal to the
multiplication of dot product force with displacement (W = F ⃗.s ⃗ = cos⁡θ)

J. Edu. & Learn. ISSN: 2089-9823 
273
a) Determine the speed of the object on B
𝑊𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = ∆𝐸𝐾
𝑊
𝑤 + 𝑊𝑁 + 𝑊
𝑓𝑘
= 𝐸𝐾𝐵 − 𝐸𝐾𝐴
𝑤𝑠 cos 𝜃 + 𝑁𝑠 cos 900
+ 𝑓𝑘𝑠 cos 1800
=
1
2
𝑚𝑣𝐵
2
−
1
2
𝑚𝑣𝐴
2
10000 (50)
30
50
+ 0 − 1600 (50) =
1
2
1000(𝑣𝐵
2) − 0
500(𝑣𝐵
2) = 300.000 − 80000
(𝑣𝐵
2) =
220.000
500
= 440
𝑣𝐵 = √440m/s
b) Determine the kinetic friction coefficient on the plane
𝑊𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = ∆𝐸𝐾
𝑊𝑁 + 𝑊
𝑔 + 𝑊
𝑓𝑘
= 𝐸𝐾2 − 𝐸𝐾1
0 + 0 + 𝑓𝑘𝑠 cos 180 =
1
2
𝑚𝑣2
2
−
1
2
𝑚𝑣1
2
𝜇𝑘𝑁𝑠 cos 180 =
1
2
𝑚𝑣2
2
−
1
2
𝑚𝑣1
2
𝜇𝑘(1000.10)35(−1) =
1
2
1000(02) −
1
2
1000 (440)
−350.000𝜇𝑘 = −220.000
𝜇𝑘 =
−300.000
−350.000
= 0,63
Thus, the flat surface kinetic friction coefficient required for the car does not slip and stops right at
the end of a 35 m flat trajectory of 0.63.
Test that has been proven valid and reliable, then implemented in high school students X class of 68
students. The results of the implementation are shown in Table 3.
Table 3. Results of the problem solving test instrument implementation
No Aspect
Value
Question 1 Question 2
1 Average Value 17,26 16,60
2 Minimum Value 10 10
3 Maximum Value 23 22
Based on Table 3, it is known that the average value of students in question number 1 is 17.26 and
question number 2 is 16.02 with a score range of 0-25. The minimum score that students achieve on the
number 1 and 2 the same is 10. The maximum value obtained by students on the matter number 1 is 23 and
question number 2 is 22. This acquisition is quite good because all students can understand the problem and
solve it. The test results also indicate that in question number 1 as much as 42.65% students still solve the
problem by novice way, while 57.35% of students have been able to solve the problem by expert way. While
on problem number 2 it is known that 47,06% student still do by novice way, while 52,94% student have
done by expert way. The high percentage of students solve problems by expert way means that students'
problem solving skills are good, but training is still needed to get closer to 100%.
The result of the student's answer on question 1 is shown in Figure 6. Based on Figure 6 it is known
that the questions have been able to assess the problem solving ability of the students. In the useful
description, students have been able to determine the system and draw a diagram of forces that work on the
system. Students have been able to determine the physics approach as well as the specific application of
physics used as well. Mathematical procedures written by students are appropriate and get the right solution.
The logical progression that students demonstrate in solving this problem has been coherent, clear, focused,
and logically connected solutions. Students who solve a problem coherently, clearly, and can correctly
answer indicate that the conceptual understanding they have in the material is good [19].
The result of student's answer on question 2 is shown in Figure 7. Based on Figure 7, it is known
that the problem solving ability of students has been assessed. Students have written useful description well.
Students can define systems and environments, draw style diagrams although there is little inconsistency in
vector writing. Students have mentioned physics approach correctly, but specifiec application of physics is

 ISSN: 2089-9823
274
lacking. The mathematical procedures presented by the students contain few errors, namely the writing of
vector signs, and the writing of speeds that are not accompanied by units. Logical progression students have
shown that the solutions displayed are clear and focused with little inconsistencies.
Figure 6. Results of students’answers to question number 1
Figure 7. Results of student answers to question number 2

J. Edu. & Learn. ISSN: 2089-9823 
275
4. CONCLUSION
Based on the results of research and data analysis, it is known that of the three questions that have
been developed only two are classified as valid. The two validly stated questions have a reliability level of
0.807. This value indicates that the reliability level is high, so it can be used to measure students' validity and
reliability problem solving abilities.
Test that has been valid and declared reliable, implemented to measure problem solving ability. The
number of respondents used is 68 students of class X MIA SMA An Nur. The result is the average score of
the students on item 1 is 17.41 with the lowest score of 10 and the highest 23. The average score on question
2 is 16.60 with the lowest score of 10 and the highest 22. These results indicate that the test instrument can
already be used to assess students' problem solving abilities. The absence of students who get a perfect score
of 25 and still there are students who get a score of 10 indicates that the problem solving ability of students is
also not completely good, so it takes further research about the provision of learning that can train
students’problem solving skills to fully achieve the expert way.
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BIOGRAPHIES OF AUTHORS
Dr. Wartono, M.Pd
A Senior Lecturer at physics education, Universitas Kanjuruhan, Malang, Indonesia.
Doctoral Studies completed at the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (1996),
Department of Science Education.
John Rafafy Batlolona, S.Pd., M.Pd
John Rafafy Batlolona is a Master of Physics Education.
Department of Teacher Professional Education Study Program, Faculty of Teachers Training
and Education, Pattimura University, Ambon-Indonesia. The office adress is Dr. Tamaela street
on Kampus PGSD, Ambon-Maluku, Indonesia.
Email: johanbatlolona@gmail.com; johnrafafybatlolona@gmail.com
His major interests over physics education, science education, teaching and learning model,
primary education.
Prof. Dr. Sutopo, M.Si
A Senior Lecturer at physics education, Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang, Indonesia. Doctoral
Studies completed at the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (2013), Department of physics
education .
Desella Inna Rahmatina, S.Pd., M.Pd
Desella Inna Rahmatina is a Master of Physics Education.
Master Studies completed at the Universitas Negeri Malang (2018), Department of physics
education .

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