Improving Students' Scientific Process Skills through a Laser Sensor-Based Physics Laboratory KIT for Uniform Accelerated Linier Motion Experiments

Abstract

Physics learning on the topic of Uniformly Accelerated Linear Motion is often constrained by the limitations of conventional laboratory tools, which exhibit low precision and mechanical resistance. This study aims to empirically investigate the effectiveness and practicality of a digital laboratory kit based on the VL53L0X laser sensor and ESP32 microcontroller integrated with an Android application. The research employed a quasi-experimental method with a one-group pretest-posttest design involving 33 students of class X MIPA 8 at MAN 2 Kota Malang. Data were collected through conceptual understanding tests and user response questionnaires. The results showed that the instrument achieved high technical accuracy with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 1.00 during the calibration stage. Classroom implementation demonstrated a significant improvement in students' conceptual understanding, indicated by a high-category N-Gain score of 0.81, with average scores increasing from 58.18 to 98.48. Furthermore, the laboratory media was declared highly practical, with an average student response of 82%. The real-time data visualization successfully reduced students' extraneous cognitive load and enhanced learning motivation by providing instant feedback. It is concluded that this Internet of Things-based laboratory kit is an effective and feasible solution for modernizing physics education and improving students' scientific process skills in the digital era.