THE ROLES OF BIOLOGY EXERCISE CONSTRUCTION IN STUDENTS’ SCIENCE TEXTBOOK, STUDENTS’ SEX, AND SCHOOL LEVEL ON PISA TEST ACHIEVEMENT IN BINJAI

The aims of this study were to investigate the (1) construction of biology exercises items in students’ science textbook compared to PISA test items, (2) students’ sex, and (3) school level on PISA test achievement in Binjai, North Sumatera, Indonesia. The PISA items and biology items in students’ science textbook were purposively selected and analyzed by new Bloom’s taxonomy, knowledge dimensions and types of questions. Furthermore, a total of 695 students who age 15,3 to 16,2 years old from ten public schools were randomly selected and had tested with four different booklets of PISA biology test achievement, composed of 40 questions of 13 units. The result showed that test items construction in science textbook with 2013 curriculum was the most appropriate to PISA test items than the items within science textbooks of KTSP curriculum. In general, the students’ scientific literacy scored 48.92 ± 13.24 while PISA competencies scores respectively 46.77 ± 18.77 for identifying scientific issues, 49.48 ± 14.19 in explaining phenomena scientifically, and 46.30 ± 18. 69 for using scientific evidence. There was no difference of students’ sex to scientific literacy and the whole competencies. However, although the students in the same age 15 years old, the students who were one level higher, senior high school, had significant differences in competency of using scientific evidence than the student in junior high school (u =69,801.500; p = 0.000, whole respondents data; u = 5,405.000; p = 0.043, PISA operational age data). The differences in test item construction and period of learning science, partly, are the possible factors determine students’ achievement in PISA survey.