ENHANCING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF ENERGY SOURCES THROUGH THE SETS LEARNING MODEL

Abstract

This study investigates the effectiveness of the Science, Environment, Technology, and Society (SETS) learning model in improving senior high school students’ conceptual understanding of energy resources. The study was motivated by the low level of students’ conceptual understanding in physics learning, which is often caused by teacher-centered instruction, limited contextual learning experiences, and the lack of integration between scientific concepts and real-life phenomena. The research employed a quantitative approach using a quasi-experimental method with a posttest-only nonequivalent control group design. The population consisted of tenth-grade students at SMA IT Al Fikri Islamic Green School Pekanbaru during the 2025/2026 academic year. Two classes comprising 58 students were selected as research samples through random sampling. The experimental group was taught using the SETS learning model, while the control group received conventional instruction. Data were collected through a conceptual understanding test consisting of 21 multiple-choice questions covering the indicators of translation, interpretation, and extrapolation. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, including the Independent Samples t-test. The findings revealed that students in the experimental class achieved significantly higher conceptual understanding scores than those in the control class. The average score of the experimental group was categorized as good, whereas the control group only reached the sufficient category. Statistical analysis showed a significance value below 0.05, indicating a significant difference between the two groups. Therefore, the SETS learning model can be considered an effective instructional approach for enhancing students’ conceptual understanding of energy resource concepts in physics learning.