Visualisasi mental dalam kalangan pelajar Biologi terhadap konsep abstrak osmosis

This study is aimed at exploring the mental visualization of Biology students when they are given the abstract concept of Osmosis. The objectives of this study are to describe the mental visualization, to identify the different mental visualization and to depict the information processing in generating the mental visualization of these students of the abstract concept of Osmosis. Ten form four students were selected using the purposive stratified sampling method. They were categorized into two groups, the high achievers and the low achievers based on their previous Science and Biology examination results. The instruments used in this study include a task on the concept of Osmosis, semi structured interview and the researcher’s audit trail. The data were analyzed quantitatively using percentages and qualitatively by developing categories of information using the constant comparative method. The data will then be interpreted and presented in a descriptive manner. The main finding shows that the high achievers were prone to have an “overview” mental visualization, compared to the low achievers who have the “zooming image” in their mental visualization. Eighty percent of the low achievers are said to be active thinkers during the process of conceptualizing the abstract concept of Osmosis as they were able to deliver color perception in their mental visualization. The students also used filtering, relating, history and dimension as the elements of mental visualization during the processing information to generate their visuals. In conclusion, the study shows that the students used key words in the definition of Osmosis to guide them to generate mental visualization for the abstract concept of Osmosis. It is hope that these findings will assist educators to enhance the low achiever’s performance in their learning of an abstract science concept.