Pro-Life
Vol. 12 No. 3 (2025): November

Students' Problem-Solving Skills: A Descriptive Study in High School Biology Education

Oriny Tri Ananda (Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Makassar)
Susriyati Mahanal (Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang)
Hendra Susanto (Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang)



Article Info

Publish Date
13 Nov 2025

Abstract

Problem-solving skills are essential competencies in biology learning, which have a broad and complex scope closely related to real-life phenomena. Students are expected not only to understand biological concepts theoretically but also to apply them in formulating solutions to contextual problems. This study aims to analyse students’ problem-solving skills in biology learning at the senior high school level. The research employed a quantitative descriptive method with a sample of 105 students from SMA Negeri 11 Makassar, selected through random sampling. The research instrument consisted of 16 essay items developed based on eight indicators of problem-solving skills proposed by Greenstein. Data were analysed descriptively by calculating the percentage of achievement for each indicator. The results show that students’ problem-solving skills fall into the low category with an average percentage of 51.62%. The highest achievement was found in the ‘identifies solutions’ indicator (57.50%), while the lowest was in the ‘evaluates solutions’ indicator (47.86%). These findings highlight students’ difficulties in identifying complex biological problems, applying systematic problem-solving steps, evaluating the effectiveness of solutions, and connecting them to real-life contexts. Therefore, students’ problem-solving skills need to be improved through innovative, problem-based, and contextual learning strategies. This study emphasises the significance of active learning approaches in ensuring that biological concepts are not only understood conceptually but also applied meaningfully to address real-world challenges.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

prolife

Publisher

Subject

Agriculture, Biological Sciences & Forestry Biochemistry, Genetics & Molecular Biology Education Immunology & microbiology

Description

Ilmu Biologi merupakan salah satu ilmu yang terus bertumbuh dan menjadi bagian yang penting dalam kehidupan. Ilmu Biologi mencakup kajian teori, penelitian hingga pendidikan Biologi menjadi cakupan ilmiah yang terus diteliti dan dikaji hingga memperoleh manfaat bagi kehidupan. Program studi ...