Manuscript received November 5, 2022; revised December 23, 2022; accepted April 6, 2023.
Abstract—This study aimed to determine the effect of
computer simulation using molecular workbench in a
collaborative discovery learning environment to improve critical
thinking abilities and learning activities of high school students.
A quasi-experiment with a matching-only pretest-posttest
control group design was applied in this study. A total of 60
students consisting of 30 students in both the experimental and
control groups were selected purposively from the population of
grade 11 MAN 1 Bandar Lampung, Indonesia in the academic
year 2019–2020. A series of descriptive and inferential statistics
were used to determine the effectiveness of the treatment on
students’ learning activities and critical thinking abilities. The
results showed that the n-gain value of the experimental group
ranging between 0.62 to 0.93 higher than the control group with
n-gain ranging between 0.18 to 0.57. Furthermore, the analysis
of the independent sample t-test yielded a sig < 0.05, which
confirms the effectivity of molecular dynamics simulation in a
discovery learning environment in fostering the critical thinking
abilities. In addition, other findings also inform that discovery
activities with computer simulations can increase student
learning activities such as asking questions, communication
attitudes, conscientiousness, and cooperation. Molecular
dynamics simulation activities facilitate student learning and
develop thinking skills, especially in discovering chemical
concepts.
Index Terms—Molecular dynamics simulation, discovery
learning, molecular workbench, critical thinking skills, learning
activities
Andrian Saputra, Lisa Tania, and Ila Rosilawati are with University of
Lampung, Indonesia.
*Correspondence: andriansaputra@fkip.unila.ac.id (A.S.)
Cite: Andrian Saputra*, Lisa Tania, and Ila Rosilawati, "Using Molecular Workbench in a Collaborative Discovery Learning Environment to Improve Students’ Activities and Critical Thinking Abilities in Chemical Equilibrium," International Journal of Information and Education Technology vol. 13, no. 10, pp. 1556-1562, 2023.
Copyright © 2023 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).