Abstract:
The thesis was aimed to compare students' knowledge of transfcymer characteristicleaned form two types of laboratory instruction: a conventional and a discovery. The researcherbelieved that the discovery method would level up students' knowledge to application ability andyet enable them to self-formulate vector graphic representing transformer characteristic. Majorresearch tools used were conventional and structured discovery laboratories and a test setmeasuring learning outcome.Efficiency testing process of a transformer was major content for research tooldevelopment. Two conventional laboratories were developed as the first and second tools toimprove studeuts' internalization on tlie traiisfortl~erb ehavior. A structured discovery laboratoryand another conventional laboratory covering on-load test were developed as a third and forthtools. The discovery type required observation and a series of question to find electricalresponds, which in normal circumstance were unable to find, to formulate a vector graphicrepresenting transformer characteristics. Those responds were exciting, working, and magneticcurrent dissipating in transformer. The conventional type ordered students to formulate vectoraccording to instruction provided. A set of 67 test items measuring students' learningachievement in the area of comprehension, application, and analysis were developed form majorproblem of transformer characteristic. All test items possessed following characteristic:discrimination power of 0.36, difficulty index of 0.26, and reliability of 0.63. Both test items andlaboratory-sheet were approved by the content experts.A sample of forty two students randomly drawn from eighty first year electricalstudents of Roy-ed technical college were used in this study. Initially, all students were taughtwith fundamental electrical knowledge and necessary entry behavior. Secondly, they wereinstructed with the first and second laboratory. Thirdly, they were test with a set of pre-test andwere simple randomly separated in to an experimental and a control group of twenty-one.Finally, the experimental group students were guided to work with structured discovery and thecontrol group students were guided to work with conventional laboratory.It was found form experiment those students learned form discovery laboratory weremore capable in forming vector graphic than the control group students. The test scores indicateda significant difference of overall achievement that experimental group students owned higheraverage score than the control group. The experimental group students, on the other hand,expressed themselves better in application knowledge level. The students also found that theexperimental group student were more enthusiastic in exchanging ideas. However, it was foundthat the time used in performing discovery laboratory were longer than the time used for conventional type.