Abstract:

Abstract The phenomena of misconception and the poor conceptual understanding are the problems frequently occur in science learning. Traditional learning models have not yet had significant impact on the improvement of conceptual understanding and the effort for misconceptions remedies. This study aims to find out the effectiveness of cognitive conflict-based learning model in enhancing students’ conceptual understandings and remediating their misconceptions. The method used is a quasi-experiment with control group pretest-posttest design. The samples  consist of three sample classes of the students from department of physics. The research instrument is a static fluid concept test with two tier-multiple choice test type which completed by an open-ended test. The data obtained in the form of the students’ conceptual understanding levels which were analyzed by using the technique of percentage. The results show that the cognitive conflict-based learning (CCBL) model is effective in reducing misconceptions, whereas the traditional learning precisely adds misconceptions. The implication of this research is the CCBL model has smart syntaxes, namely, (1) activation of preconception and misconception, (2) presentation of cognitive conflict, (3) discovery of concepts and equations, and (4) reflection, which have advantages in remediating misconceptions, besides it can improve the students’ conceptual understanding.

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