IDENTIFICATION OF MISCONCEPTIONS ON WORK AND ENERGY MATERIAL IN CLASS XI AT SMAN 2 PERCUT SEI TUAN USING THREE TIER DIAGNOSTIC TEST

Abstrak

Physics concepts such as work and energy are fundamental yet often difficult for students to understand because they require the integration of mathematical representation and conceptual reasoning. Misunderstandings commonly arise when students interpret physical phenomena using everyday intuition rather than scientific principles. This study aims to identify misconceptions held by eleventh-grade students regarding the concepts of work and energy at SMAN 2 Percut Sei Tuan using a three tier diagnostic test. The research employed a quantitative descriptive method involving 32 students as participants. The diagnostic instrument consisted of six items that assessed students' multiple-choice answers, conceptual reasoning, and confidence levels. The findings indicate that misconceptions were the most dominant category, accounting for 53.125% of all responses, followed by conceptual understanding at 25%, lack of understanding at 21.875%, and guessing at 0%. Item-by-item analysis showed that the highest misconception rate occurred in the concepts of free-fall velocity and energy transformation on rough surfaces, each reaching 50%. These results demonstrate that many students still rely on intuitive, everyday reasoning rather than scientific principles. The study concludes that the three-tier test is effective in uncovering students' underlying reasoning errors and can serve as a basis for improving physics instruction.