Development of Engineering Literacy Test Instruments on Earthquake and Volcano Materials

Abstract

This Engineering literacy is an essential competence for junior high school students to understand and respond to natural disaster issues through an engineering-based problem-solving approach. However, engineering literacy assessment instruments that are context-based, aligned with engineering practices, and suitable for Indonesian junior high school students remain limited, particularly for disaster-related topics. This study aims to develop an appropriate and reliable engineering literacy test instrument for seventh-grade junior high school students on earthquake and volcano topics, focusing on engineering knowledge and engineering design practices. The research employed a Research and Development (R&D) approach using the 4D model, consisting of define, design, develop, and disseminate stages. The study involved 30 junior high school students. Data were analyzed to determine the instrument’s validity, reliability, difficulty level, and discriminatory power. Instrument development included data collection, planning, initial draft preparation, and content and construct validation by experts through alignment between engineering literacy indicators and test items, followed by field trials, revisions, and implementation. Results showed that 11 out of 12 items were valid, with one item invalid. The instrument demonstrated high reliability with a KR-20 value of 0.71, while the items exhibited moderate difficulty levels and good discriminatory power. This study contributes a context-based engineering literacy assessment instrument aligned with NGSS-oriented engineering practices for earthquake and volcano topics, which has not been widely developed for Indonesian junior high school contexts.