The Enhancement of Junior High School Students Self-efﬁcacy through

Problem Based Learning

Fitriana Yolanda

Department of Mathematic Education, Universitas Islam Riau, Pekanbaru, Indonesia

Keywords:

Enhancement, Student Self-Efﬁcacy, Problem Based Learning

Abstract:

This study aims to examine enhancement of students self-efﬁcacy who get learning with problem based

learning and scientiﬁc approach. The design used in this study is the design of non-equivalent control

groups. The population in this study were all of eighth grade students of one of the junior high schools in

Bandung. Determination of the sample was done by purposive sampling. Technique of collecting data using

a self-efﬁcacy questionnaire. Data analysis techniques used the Mann-Whitney test. The results showed that

the average value of the problem based learning class was 64.16 while the average value of the learning class

students with the scientiﬁc approach was 51.06. Based on the Mann-Whitney test results obtained a value of

signiﬁcance value of 0,000 smaller than α = 0.05. The conclusions from the study show that the self-efﬁcacy of

students who get problem-based learning is better than students who get learning with the scientiﬁc approach.

1 INTRODUCTION

In life, self-efﬁcacy is a very important thing that

humans have. self-efﬁcacy encourages someone to

discuss about who can solve someone who corrects

and is successful. From that experience, he will

be able to express his conﬁdence. Etymologically,

self-efﬁcacy consists of two words namely ”self”

which is interpreted as not a belief structure (Alwisol,

2010), and ”efﬁcacy” related to oneself, can be used

to perform tasks that can be done well, right or wrong,

can or can not do something that is in accordance with

the prepared (Alwisol, 2010).

Self-efﬁcacy theory is based on Bandura’s

social-cognitive theory which postulates that

one’s achievement or performance depends on the

interaction between behavior, personal factors (for

example: thoughts, beliefs) and one’s environmental

conditions (Sudrajat, 2008). From the various

opinions of experts, self-efﬁcacy in practice is

synonymous with ” self-efﬁcacy ”. Self-efﬁcacy has

inﬂuence in election, big effort and perseverance, as

well as patterns of thinking and emotional reactions.

Self-efﬁcacy assessment encourages individuals

who avoid challenges that exceed their abilities or

carry out activities that are expected to overcome

them. In solving difﬁcult problems, individuals who

have doubts about their abilities will reduce their

difﬁculties to let go.

Self-efﬁcacy can improve students’ mathematical

abilities through an effort to build one’s self-efﬁcacy

to achieve success in problems solving in life.

self-efﬁcacy is an ability that must be possessed

by students, it is in accordance with the general

goal of mathematics, namely having an attitude

of appreciating the usefulness of mathematics in

life, namely having curiosity, attention and interest

in learning mathematics, and being resilient and

conﬁdent in problem solving.

According to (Hendriana et al., 2017) so that the

ability of students to develop properly, several factors

need to be considered by teachers, namely

• by providing relevant feedback.

• explaining the importance of objectives.

• giving examples (examples ) which can be used as

a guide for students to behave

Therefore, self-efﬁcacy must be developed within

students so that they can interpret mathematical

processes and learning in real life, so that the

learning process occurs optimally, and can connect

the knowledge they have with the surrounding

environment.

Some studies conclude that student self-efﬁcacy

is positively correlated with student motivation,

performance and achievement. Among them is

the research conducted by (Ilhamsyah, 2014) which

states the positive inﬂuence between self-efﬁcacy

Yolanda, F.

The Enhancement of Junior High School Students Self-efﬁcacy through Problem Based Learning.

DOI: 10.5220/0009057700290033

In Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Social, Economy, Education and Humanity (ICoSEEH 2019) - Sustainable Development in Developing Country for Facing Industrial

Revolution 4.0, pages 29-33

ISBN: 978-989-758-464-0

and student mathematics learning achievement. If

the student’s self-efﬁcacy is higher then the learning

achievement achieved is higher and vice versa.

Successfully considering individuals who have higher

self-efﬁcacy consider it to be a failure, while

individuals who have low self-efﬁcacy consider better

than ability.

The statements that are not much better are

delivered by (Hamdi and Abadi, 2014) on PGSD

STKIP-H students and PGMI IAIH, which states that

there is an inﬂuence between self-efﬁcacy and student

learning achievement. Self-efﬁcacy refers to the

individual’s belief that he is able to do certain tasks,

or the belief can do something in certain situations

successfully. Thus it can be seen that self-efﬁcacy

is not the same as expectation of results (outcome

expectation), outcome expectation is a consideration

of the possible consequences that will result from

behavior (Bandura, 1993), but self-efﬁcacy is the

expectation of excellence or self-mastery (personal

mastery expectation).

Based on preliminary studies conducted by

authors on students of Senior high school Negeri

15 Bandung, information was obtained that many

students had low self-efﬁcacy. This can be

seen from the attitude of students who are easily

hesitant and unsure of their own abilities when

given difﬁcult questions and require problem solving

concepts. Students look confused and do not

have the conﬁdence to resolve the problems given.

Furthermore, weak students even give up immediately

when given a problem that requires a high level of

resolution. As a result students are not successful in

learning the material provided by the teacher.

This is in line with the opinion of (Bandura,

1997) which states that individuals who have low

self-efﬁcacy will tend to stay away from difﬁcult tasks

because the task is seen as a threat to them. They

are also slow in ﬁxing or regaining their self-efﬁcacy

when facing failure. While individuals who have high

self-efﬁcacy tend to do a certain task, even though

these tasks are a difﬁcult task. They do not view

duty as a threat that they must avoid. In addition,

they develop intrinsic interests and deep interest in

an activity, develop goals, and are committed to

achieving these goals. They also increase their efforts

in preventing failures that may arise. From some of

the opinions of the experts above it can be concluded

that student self-efﬁcacy is still not as expected. To

overcome this, one of the lessons needed to improve

student self-efﬁcacy is problem-based learning.

Problem-based learning is one of learning based

on constructivism learning theory, which is oriented

towards student centered learning. Problem-based

learning according to (Fogarty, 1997) provides

opportunities for students to understand concepts

or subject matter to reveal problems ﬁrst with the

initial knowledge they already have, both formal and

informal. In problem-based learning students are

required to ﬁnd problems ﬁrst, state problems, gather

facts, build questions, submit hypotheses, re-examine

problems in other ways. Build alternative solutions

and propose solutions.

In problem-based learning the teacher does not

present mathematical concepts in ready-made forms,

but by exposing students to a problem in which

there are facts, situations, circumstances that can

potentially lead to cognitive conﬂict in students.

Through the help of friends and teachers, it is

expected that students can rearrange and ﬁnd the

correct concept of the problem given. Assistance

given by the teacher does not mean having to answer

student questions directly, but can ask questions by

using questioning techniques and directing students

to ﬁnd the right concepts. With all the knowledge

and abilities they have, students are required to solve

problems that are rich in mathematical concepts.

Furthermore according to (Rusman, 2011) open

learning spaces, using democratic processes, and

centering on student activity are some of the

learning environment factors that must be prepared in

problem-based learning.

In the learning process, in the step of student

orientation to the problem, the teacher motivates

students to be involved in solving the problem

provided so that students require high self-efﬁcacy.

Student’s self-efﬁcacy will be created in the ﬁrst stage

in problem-based learning syntax because with high

self-efﬁcacy students are able to solve mathematical

problems. Based on these explanations, it can be

concluded that problem-based learning can provide

challenges to students in order to ﬁnd solutions to

solving mathematical problems and motivate students

to be more active in learning and create a spirit of

student self-efﬁcacy.

The advantages of problem-based learning

according to (Ibrahim and Nur, 2000) are :

• student retention of what is learned longer and

stronger

• well integrated knowledge.

• develop long-term learning skills, namely how to

research, communicate in groups, and how to deal

with problems.

• increasing motivation, interest in the ﬁeld of

study, and learning independence.

• increasing the interaction of students and student

teachers.

ICoSEEH 2019 - The Second International Conference on Social, Economy, Education, and Humanity

Based on the description above, the researcher

is interested in examining whether problem-based

learning can improve students’ self-efﬁcacy in

mathematics learning. So this study the author

entitled ”the enhancement of junior high school

students self-efﬁcacy through problem based

learning”.

2 RESEARCH METHOD

This research is a Quasi Experimental study

consisting of two research groups, namely the

experimental class is a group of students who do

problem-based learning and the control class is a

group of students who conduct learning with a

scientiﬁc approach. The design used is the design

of non-equivalent control groups (Ruseffendi, 2006).

This research was conducted in class VIII at one of

the junior high school in Bandung, odd semester of

the 2014/2015 school year. Samples are determined

by purposive sampling, namely sampling techniques

based on certain considerations (Sugiyono, 2013),

namely classes that have equivalent academic

characteristics and abilities. The purpose of sampling

is like this so that research can be carried out

effectively and efﬁciently, especially in terms of

supervision, the condition of the research subjects,

the time of the study set, the conditions of the

research site and licensing procedures. Based on

the consideration of the teacher of the mathematics

class VIII local junior high school, two classes were

chosen as the research sample, namely class VIII.C as

the experimental class and class VIII.F as the control

class.

Data relating to student self-efﬁcacy were

collected through self-efﬁcacy questionnaires. The

self-efﬁcacy scale in this study is arranged in the form

of a Likert scale. The self-efﬁcacy scale consists of

18 items given to students after learning, both in the

experimental class that have problem-based learning

as well as in the control class that has learning through

the scientiﬁc approach. Furthermore, to answer the

hypothesis ”whether the self-efﬁcacy of students who

obtain problem-based learning is signiﬁcantly better

than students who obtain learning with a scientiﬁc

approach” then a nonparametric test is performed,

namely the Mann-Whitney test. The self-efﬁcacy

questionnaire data processing of students uses the

help of SPSS version 21 software for Windows.

3 RESULT DISCUSSION

3.1 Result

3.1.1 Self-efﬁcacy Analysis

Student self-efﬁcacy data were obtained from the

provision of scale questionnaires composed of 18

statements consisting of 12 positive statements and

6 negative statements. Self-Efﬁcacy of students was

measured using a Likert self-efﬁcacy scale in the form

of a questionnaire given to students after obtaining

learning treatment in both classes. The results of

scale data processing of self-efﬁcacy of students in

problem-based learning class and learning class with

scientiﬁc approach can be seen in the table below:

Table 1: Descriptive Obtaining Self-Efﬁcacy Score of

Students on Problem-Based Learning Classes and Learning

with Scientiﬁc Approach.

N Min Max Mean Sd

Efﬁcacy

experiment

37 48 75 64,16 7,034

Efﬁcacy control 37 32 64 51,06 8,446

Valid N 37

The table above shows that the difference in the

acquisition of students’ self-efﬁcacy scores in the

problem-based learning class and the learning class

with the scientiﬁc approach. Problem based learning

class with an average of 64.16 while the learning

class with a scientiﬁc approach 51.06. Based on

this, it can be concluded that the average difference

between the acquisition of students’ self-efﬁcacy

scores in the problem-based learning class and the

learning class with the scientiﬁc approach is 13.1.

The maximum value in the problem-based learning

class is 75 and the minimum value is 48. As

for the learning class with a scientiﬁc approach

the maximum value is 64 and the minimum value

is 32. Also based on obtaining the standard

deviation between problem-based learning classes

which is 7.034 and the learning class 8.466 means

that the variance of class data distribution that

applies problem-based learning and classes that apply

learning with the scientiﬁc approach has different

distribution variances. Furthermore, to reinforce the

conclusions of descriptive statistics, nonparametric

tests were carried out, namely the Mann-Whitney

test to show that the self-efﬁcacy of students in

problem-based learning classes was better than

students’ self-efﬁcacy in the learning class with the

scientiﬁc approach.

The Enhancement of Junior High School Students Self-efﬁcacy through Problem Based Learning

3.1.2 The Difference of the Average Self-efﬁcacy

of Students

The test of the difference in mean self-efﬁcacy of

students was done to show the effect of learning

treatment carried out by both classes on students’

self-efﬁcacy through nonparametric tests namely

Mann-Whitney. The research hypothesis proposed is:

Hypothesis : ”Self-efﬁcacy of students who get

problem-based learning is signiﬁcantly better than

students who get learning with a scientiﬁc approach”.

With the testing criteria as follows:

The average self-efﬁcacy score of students who

get problem-based learning is the same as the

average score of self-efﬁcacy students get learning

with the scientiﬁc approach.

The average score of self-efﬁcacy of students who

get problem-based learning is signiﬁcantly better

than the average score of self-efﬁcacy of students

who get learning with the scientiﬁc approach.

Table 2: The Mean Difference Test Results in Obtaining

Self-Efﬁcacy Score of Students in Problem-Based Learning

Class and Learning Class with Scientiﬁc Approach

Self-Efﬁcacy

Mann-Whitney U 160,000

Wilcoxon W 863,000

Z -5,671

Asymp. Sig (2-tailed) ,000

Based on the table above, it can be seen that

the value of Sig. (2-tailed) is 0,000. Because

the hypothesis test is used one-sided (1-tailed), the

signiﬁcance value is 0,000 < α. So it can be

concluded that H

is rejected, meaning that the

self-efﬁcacy of students who get problem-based

learning is signiﬁcantly better than students who get

learning with the scientiﬁc approach.

3.2 Discussion of Research Result

A person’s self-efﬁcacy greatly determines how much

effort is spent and how strongly the individual

survives in the face of obstacles and painful

experiences. The stronger the perception of one’s

self-efﬁcacy the more active and diligent his efforts.

Individuals who have high self-efﬁcacy tend to do a

certain task, even though these tasks are a difﬁcult

task. They do not view duty as a threat that they must

avoid. In addition, they develop an intrinsic interest

and a deep interest in an activity, develop goals, and

are committed to achieving those goals. They also

increase their efforts in preventing failures that may

arise. This is also in line with the opinion of (Yolanda,

2019) which states that individuals who individuals

who are persistent in carrying out developmental

tasks as an individual with good things are individuals

who have positive self-efﬁcacy.

While individuals who have low self-efﬁcacy will

tend to stay away from difﬁcult tasks because the task

is seen as a threat to them. They are also slow to

ﬁx or regain their self-efﬁcacy when facing failure

(Bandura, 1997). The measurement of self-efﬁcacy

in this study focused on four characteristics adapted

from (Hendriana, 2009), namely:

• believing in one’s own abilities, namely a belief in

oneself against all phenomena that occur that are

related to the individual’s ability to evaluate and

overcome phenomena happened that

• acting independently in making decisions, which

can act in making decisions about what is done

independently without involving many others. In

addition, it has the ability to believe in the actions

taken

• have a positive self-concept, namely the existence

of a good judgment from within themselves, both

from the views and actions taken so as to create a

positive sense of self

• dare to express opinions, namely the existence

of an attitude to be able to express something

in themselves that wants to be revealed to others

without any coercion or things that can hinder the

disclosure of these feelings.

The results of the study showed that the

self-efﬁcacy of students who obtained problem-based

learning was better than students who obtained

learning with the scientiﬁc approach. Based

on descriptive self-efﬁcacy statistical tests in both

classes, for problem-based learning classes with many

students 37 people obtained maximum scores of

self-efﬁcacy questionnaires by 75, a minimum score

of 48 and an average of 64.16 with a standard

deviation of 7.034. As for the learning class with

a scientiﬁc approach with 37 students the maximum

score of self-efﬁcacy was 64 and the minimum score

was 32 with an average of 51.06 and a standard

deviation of 8.44. Based on the explanation above,

it can be described in polygon form as follows:

The results of the above data are also proven

by testing the difference in the average of the two

classes. The average difference test results show a

(Hendriana, 2009) signiﬁcance value of 0,000 smaller

than α = 0.05. Thus it can be concluded that

is rejected, meaning that the self-efﬁcacy of

students who get problem-based learning is better

than students who get learning with the scientiﬁc

ICoSEEH 2019 - The Second International Conference on Social, Economy, Education, and Humanity

Figure 1: Descriptive statistics polygon.

approach. The results of this study are in line with

the research conducted by (Hendriana, 2009) which

suggests that the self-efﬁcacy of groups of students

who have learned metaphorical thinking is better than

the self-efﬁcacy of groups of students who obtain

conventional learning. Furthermore, it is emphasized

by research conducted by (Risnanosanti, 2010) which

says that the self-efﬁcacy of students who take inquiry

learning is better than the self-efﬁcacy of students

who obtain normal learning.

4 CONCLUSIONS

Based on the research and discussion mentioned

above, the average value of the problem-based

learning class is 64.16 while the average value

of the learning class with the scientiﬁc approach

is 51.06. The standard deviation of the problem

based learning class is 7,034 and the learning class

with the scientiﬁc approach is 8,466. This means

that the variance of class data distribution that

applies problem-based learning and classes that apply

learning with the scientiﬁc approach has different

distribution variances. Furthermore, based on the

Mann-Whitney test obtained a signiﬁcance value of

0,000 smaller than α = 0,05. The conclusion of this

study is that the self-efﬁcacy of students who obtain

problem-based learning is better than students who

obtain learning with a scientiﬁc approach.

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The Enhancement of Junior High School Students Self-efﬁcacy through Problem Based Learning