The Analysis of Pre-Service Physics Teachers’ Computational Thinking Skills in Designing Computer Simulations of Projectile Motion Using the Scratch Application

Abstract

Computational Thinking is a skill that plays a significant role in improving students' skills, achievements, and global competitiveness. This research aims to determine the Computational Thinking abilities of preservice physics teachers for each indicator by creating a simulation using the Scratch application. This research is a descriptive qualitative study. The respondents involved in the research were 10 pre-service physics teachers at Khairun University. The respondents are students who have taken Computer Programming courses. The saturated sampling technique was used to determine the respondents. The data collection technique for this research is a test. The instrument used is a simple project to simulate projectile motion. The results of this research show that all students were able to complete the abstraction and generalization components perfectly. Furthermore, in the decomposition and algorithmic thinking components, two students made incorrect commands in the Scratch application. However, after the interview, it was revealed that the error was not due to their lack of understanding of physics concepts, but rather due to the limitations of mathematical operations in the Scratch application. Importantly, several students explained that most of the Computational Thinking components had already been developed through their habit of solving physics phenomena cases. Therefore, it can also be concluded that Computational Thinking can train students to solve physics problems effectively.