A review of teacher development reforms in Indonesian secondary science: The effectiveness of practical work in biology

Science teaching in Indonesia has undergone major reforms since independence. This paper examines the role of practical activities in secondary science from an international perspective and contrasts this with a developing country perspective. In examining major curriculum and teacher training reforms in Indonesia, continuing influences on science education from industrialised countries are acknowledged; however, unlike many other developing countries, Indonesia has essentially implemented curriculum and teacher training reforms using a pool of overseas trained senior teachers and locally trained personnel. A number of research studies on biology practical work in Indonesia suggest that practical activities in biology are more effective in enhancing student cognitive achievement, science process skills and problem solving abilities than traditional didactic classroom approaches.