The Influence of Practical Learning on Circulatory System Material on Social Emotional Competence and Students' Conceptual Understanding

Abstract

The “Kurikulum Merdeka” emphasizes the active involvement of students in designing solutions to various problems through a contextual approach. One of them is through the application of a practicum method that allows students to link abstract concepts with real experiences. In this process, students need to have the ability to manage their own emotions and understand the feelings of others in order to resolve conflicts constructively. Social emotional competence is an important factor in building interactions between students while supporting understanding of the material being studied.

This study aims to examine the effect of practicum learning on the circulatory system material on students' social emotional competence and conceptual understanding. The research method used is Pre-Experiment with One-Group Pretest-Posttest Design. The study was conducted at SMA Negeri 3 Semarang in the 2024/2025 academic year, involving three grade XI classes as samples. The data collection method used a Social Emotional Competence observation sheet, a learning implementation questionnaire, and a concept understanding test.

The results of the study showed that practicum learning had a significant effect on improving conceptual understanding. In addition, the relationship between practicum learning and social emotional competence showed a moderate correlation (r = 0.527). There is also a significant positive relationship between conceptual understanding and social emotional competence with a moderate correlation level. Thus, practical learning has a positive effect on improving students' conceptual understanding and social emotional competence.