Gender as a Predictor of Physics Students’ Academic Performance in Senior Secondary School External Examinations in Ekiti State, Nigeria

This study examined gender as a predictor of Physics students’ academic performance in Senior Secondary School external examinations in Ado Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Nigeria. An ex-post-facto research was employed for the study. The entire Physics students in AdoEkiti that sat for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) external Examination between 2017 to 2019, were used for the study. A total of three hundred candidates (300) were randomly selected as a sample from five (5) senior secondary schools for the study. Frequency and t-test were used to test the four formulated null hypotheses. The result indicated that; there was a significant difference in the academic performance of male and female Physics students in mixed senior secondary schools, also there was a significant difference in academic performance of male and female Physics students in single-sex senior secondary school, similarly, there was a significant difference in academic performance of female students in Physics in single-sex and mixed senior secondary schools. There was a significant difference in academic performance of male students in Physics in single-sex and mixed senior secondary schools. Based on the findings, appropriate conclusions and recommendations were made.

INTRODUCTION
Physics is the bedrock of the technological development of a nation. This implies that, high level of scientific and technological attainment of a nation depends on the Physics education of the citizenry (Akinbobola, 2016). Nigeria as a country suffers from persistent power failure, insufficient food, medical care, portable water as well an unconducive living and working environment that indicate the low level of scientific-technological development (Akinbobola, 2015). The standard of education in Nigeria is of great concern compared to other developing countries. It is generally believed that, a good education is the gateway to success and the cornerstone of social emancipation, economic achievement, and natural development. It is one of the responsibilities of government to provide relevant and adequate educational opportunities to her people. Akinleye (2014) opines that inspirations ginger actions, counteractions, and their directions. Therefore, a number of factors motivated this study. The first of such factors is related to gender inequity. Thus, the educational growth and development especially in the northern part of Nigeria, is suffering from the problem of educational inequity between females and males in terms of educational opportunities.
The problem of students' under-performance in secondary schools in Nigeria has been a much-discussed educational issue. In solving any problem however, it is pertinent to understand the causes of such problems. Many causes or agents have been studied as the etiological starting point for investigating the phenomena of school failure or success. These causes are looked into from several perspectives including the role of the students, teachers, parents or family, school environment, society, government, etc.
Gender is one of such factors that have considerable effects on students' academic performances, especially in science subjects. Gender is the range of physical, biological, mental and behavioural characteristics pertaining to and differentiating between the feminine and masculine (female and male) population. The importance of examining performance in relation to gender is based primarily on the socio-cultural differences between girls and boys. Some vocations and professions have been regarded as men's (engineering, arts and crafts, agriculture, etc.) while others as women's (catering, typing, nursing, etc.).
In fact, parents assign a task like car washing, grass cutting, bulbs fixing, climbing ladders to fix or remove things, etc. to the boys. On the other hand, chores like dishes washing, cooking, cleaning, and so on are assigned to the girls. In a nutshell, what are regarded as complex and difficult tasks are allocated to boys whereas girls are expected to handle the relatively easy and less demanding tasks. As a result of this way of thinking the larger society has tended to see girls as a weaker sex". Consequently, an average Nigerian girl goes to school with these fixed stereotypes.
According to Alex (2012), gender inequity is manifested in the low level of enrollment, alarming withdrawal rate resulting in low completion rate, poor or lack of attention and support for the female child education by parents, and lack of or inadequate attention being given to female students by teachers particularly in co-educational classrooms especially when taught by male teachers.
Another motivating factor for embarking on this research is the assertion that females have better aptitude and competence in learning the language than their male counterparts . Closely related to this assertion is the desire to investigate the performance of students based on sex in the Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (SSCE). One may not, however, be wrong to attribute the reasons for the gender disparities in educational opportunities to the historical development or evolution of western education in Nigeria. Later, due to the realization of equality of human creation and in appreciation of the role of females in social development and the need to educate them arose though on separate grounds initially (Amin, 2016).
With the complexity of our society as it develops, coupled with the struggle for equality of gender, especially by women themselves and human rights activists, the idea of co-education evolved and gradually became very popular and acceptable in most countries of the world (Wexler, 2011). In most cases, the advocates of mixed gender consider it is a valuable means of ensuring inter-gender socialization, integration, and enhancement of equity in human beings and it is believed to be highly cost-saving. They also argued that it enhances better academic performance.
Anderman & Young (2014) stated that the dynamic nature of any given society and its challenges on educational development consequently affects both the theoretical and practical aspects of the school curriculum implementation as a whole. This is due to the fact that, as the values of society change, so also does the goals and objectives of education. A formal education system necessarily reflects the values of society since its very purpose is to implement those things that the general community or society considers important and valuable, particularly for their development and survival.
Therefore, if the general community changes with regard to what is and what is not appropriate, the educational system also must change and this seems to be vitally relevant to the question as to whether a coeducational or single-gender schooling system is in the best interest of students, parents and the wider society (Annika, 2013). Bandura (2014), Equally too, they will be more likely to concentrate on their academic engagements since they will be free from the distraction of male-female relationships that inevitably, tempts adolescents for explorative reasons (Philiem, 2016 andFarley, 2015). In addition, since moral values were clearly defined several years back, to most people, it was practically seen and acceptable to be appropriate to separate boys and girls in their formal schooling.
In fact, it has been the general belief in most parts of the country that male students tends to perform better compared to female students in mathematical-related or technology-based subjects. This study, therefore, intends to investigate gender as a predictor of students' academic performance in external examinations physics in senior secondary schools in Ado Local Government Area of Ekiti State.
Nigeria as a country has been suffering from a disgustingly high rate of students 'failure in key subjects among which Physics is one . The Principal Assistant Registrar of West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC), Uduh, cited by Eze (2014) reveals that the results of West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASCE) of candidates who obtained credit passes in, at least, five subjects, including Physics, English Language and Mathematics over a period of five years. Unfortunately, not much consideration has been given to the gender factor among secondary school students as a possible vital variable that can impact on students' academic performance.
This factor is often conspicuously absent in such enumerations. Consequently, of recent, a deliberate and drastic shift from coeducation, much more to single-gender education is gaining ground and has prompted several studies, especially outside the shores of Nigeria (Alejolowo, 2015). This shift to a single-gender system today in other parts of the world is attributable to a number of research findings that that male and female genders are different in several respects such as the rate of brain development brain lateralization (Harriet, Robert & Marvin, 2009 and Burman, Tali, James, 2008), brain tasks execution strategies (Gomez, 2011), seeing and hearing endowed capabilities and activeness in the brain .
Other differences reported include learning strategies or styles (Vernon-Gestenfeld, 2012 & Hodgins, 2014); and classroom learning climatic conditions (Hodgins, 2008). Each of these poses some pedagogical challenges and consequently, constraining students' academic performance if not addressed. In this study, the word gender is used to differentiate or create the group dichotomy (male and female) as the variables for comparison in the researcher's analysis. Thus, the word gender is more preferable to be used in the present study. This study, therefore, investigated gender as a predictor of Physics students' academic performance in senior secondary schools' external examination in Ado Local Government Area of Ekiti State. In other words, the researcher investigated the academic excellence of mixed gender and single school students to find out the most system of effective school that can be best yield academic excellence of students at the senior secondary school level particularly in Physics.

Research Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance: 1. There is no significant difference in the academic performance of male and female Physics students in mixed senior secondary schools. 2. There is no significant difference in academic performance of male and female Physics students in single-sex senior secondary school. 3. There is no significant difference in academic performance of female students in Physics in single-sex and mixed senior secondary schools. 4. There is no significant difference in academic performance of male students in Physics in singlesex and mixed senior secondary schools.

Literature Review
Physics is an essential part of the educational system and of an advanced society. At this scientific and technological revolution age, these objectives underscore the importance of the study of Physics. The distinct role of Physics in the achievement of these objectives cannot be over-emphasized that is why Physics has been found to be useful in all human endeavour, Physics has contributed immensely to the development of society.
The choice of Physics as a major field of study or taking higher Physics courses is shaped by students' interest, motivation, and prior achievement (Hoffmann, 2002). Lawernz (2009) found out that students who underwent "Active Physics" scored higher for the greater part of the year compared to those who did not undergo the same experience.
While at the same time, the study claims that the achievement gap between boys and girls narrowed for those groups who took "active Physics". On the other hand, the existing literature show that interest in Physics is strongly related to Physics self-concept (Hannover & Kassels, 2012). Hoffmann's study among German school children ranging from grades 7 to 10 revealed that self-concept in Physics is the best predictor of interest in Physics as a school subject for both boys and girls. However, gender differences in interest emerge when other factors come into play which can compromise the self-concept of performance in Physics. According to Hoffmann, the gender difference in interest seems to be sufficiently explained by the gender differences of other variables, especially by differences in selfconcept. In a similar study, Ziegler, Broome & Heller (2009) found out that interest and achievement in Physics are also affected by parental cognition and gender stereotypic beliefs among boys and girls.
The bourgeoning body of literature regarding the pattern of major choice as a function of gender shows a consistent pattern. Maehr (2014) found out that men's achievement and attitude towards science tends to be higher than women while at the same time noting a discernable pattern of differences between the sexes in motivational orientation in particular areas of science.
Accordingly, females are inclined more to life sciences while males are oriented towards physical sciences. According to Payne (2015) confirmed that women choosing quantitative fields were likely to major in Physics and Engineering. Further, there is evidence to suggest that intervention through curriculum innovation that addresses the interest and experiences of females positively impacted girls" motivation, achievement, and interest in Physics (Hannover, 2001). However, Hoffmann (2002) found that interest and motivation to study Physics declined with an increase in grade level for both sexes. Other studies which applied innovative curriculum that considered female interest and employed constructivist teaching methodology came out with conflicting results. In this connection, unlike Lawrenz (2013) and Larenzo (2014) conducted a similar study on a relatively larger sample failed to yield consistent results. Lawernz (2013) claimed that males and females have significantly different prior understandings of Physics and Mathematics with females less likely to take high school Physics and making more negative shifts in attitude towards Physics. Similarly, self-efficacy is viewed as an important factor of students' major choices. Porter & Umbach (2016) claimed a strong link between subject-specific self-efficacy with the choice of a particular discipline such as high Mathematics self-efficacy with a pursuit to major in mathematics, and high scientific and technical self-efficacy related with choosing engineering as an undergraduate major.
These findings offer partial empirical support to Zhus (2011) claim regarding the link between Physics self-efficacy (PSE) and personal experience in the form of the content of Physics learning and knowledge structure as offered in school. In the study of the role of high school Physics to succeed in introductory college Physics, Sadler & Tai (2001) found out that students" high school preparation is an important predictor of achievement in college although those who were without a high school Physics course, yet with a strong academic background or have previously taken calculus, can also succeed in college Physics.

Concept of Gender
The terms sex and gender are often perceived to mean the same thing. They are, therefore, often used interchangeably or used confusedly due to the difficulty involved in getting the clarity in the difference in their meaning. Thus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) (2013) defines sex as the biological characteristics which define humans as female or male. These sets of biological characteristics are not mutually exclusive as there are individuals who possess both, but these characteristics tend to differentiate humans as males and females (WHO 2013). WHO (2013) goes further to enumerate some aspects of sex characteristics asserting that they are universally the same as follows: 1 Men are taller than women. But of course there are some women who are taller than some men. Differences are statistical, not categorical (Grobman, 2012). Other biological sex characteristics on the top scale include external genitalia, internal reproductive structures, chromosomes, hormone levels, and secondary sex characteristics such as breasts, facial and body hair, voice, and body shape (Ruchismita, 2013). Everyone is born female or male. Biological and physiological conditions as indicated above help us in classification as belonging to either female sex or to male sex.
Only the sexual and reproductive organs are different and all other organs are the same. This is to say that girls and boys are not too significantly different; rather there are more similarities than differences between them. These biological or physiological differences are creations of nature and are the same in all families, every community, and in every country.
However, even sex may not be wholly dichotomous as it is made evident by inter-sexed individuals. It is ideal to note that at this point, biology is influenced by environmental, social, economic, and cultural factors which are understood as gender (Ruchismita, 2013). Gender is defined as a set of characteristics or traits that are associated with certain biological sex (male/female). These characteristics are generally referred to as -masculine‖ or feminine. This concept of gender goes close to the WHO's definition of sex above. WHO (2013) defined gender as -the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women. WHO (2013) has also enumerated some gender characteristics to include the following:-1. In the United States (and in most other countries), women earn significantly less money than men for similar work.
2. In Vietnam, many more men than women smoke, as female smoking has not traditionally been considered appropriate. 3. In Saudi Arabia men are allowed to drive cars while women are not. Gender is relational and refers not simply to women or men but to the relationship between them. According to Mills (2011), "gender is cultural and is the term to use when referring to women and men as social groups. Sex is biological; use it when the biological distinction is predominant". Sex is something one is born with, whereas gender is imbibed and learnt through a process of socialization. Sex does not change and it is constant, whereas gender and gender roles and norms change and vary within and between cultures, and with time, (Ruchismita, 2013). Gender has been highly controversial in many scientific fields because of the controversies on the different perspectives on how much of gender is due to biological, neurochemical, and evolutionary factors (nature) how much is due to culture and socialization impact. The controversy is due to political implications and the claim of by either side as being right.

Impact of Gender on students' academic Performance
Academic performance is commonly measured by examinations or continuous assessment but there is no general agreement on how it is best tested or which aspects are most important. According to Annie, Howard, Stoker & Mildred (2016) academic performance is the outcome federal the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has achieved their educational goals.
Bossaert, Doumen, Buyse & Verschueren (2014) defined academic performance as a student's success in meeting short or long-term goals in education in the big picture according to the authors, academic performance means completing high school or earning a college degree. Lassifer (2015) looked at students' academic performance as referring to a students' strong performance in a given academic area. A student who earns good grades or awards in science has achieved in the academic field of commercial studies. He further stated that education associations and schools monitor the overall level of student academic performance to decide what, if any challenges, need to be made in the educational system.
Boys often face many areas of difficulty, such as lower achievement scores in most classes. These difficulties exist because of particular problems in literacy and skills deficient in such areas as notetaking and listening. Boys tend to struggle more with homework and have lower grades in all classes, except some math and most science classes. Because boys sometimes find little relevancy in the curriculum, they become less motivated to learn the subject matter.
However, as a group, boys are much more likely than girls are to be graphic thinkers and kinesthetic learners and to thrive under competitive learning structures (King, Gurian & Stevens, 2010). Research suggests that greater group cohesion may occur in a single-gendered group, as opposed to the divisions that frequently result from the in-group/out-group phenomenon so evident in the coeducational classes (Wills, 2012). Working-class boys in coeducational classes are frequently drawn into a contest with girls that the boys simply cannot win (Thorne, 2013). Predictably, this one-sided competition results in boys becoming consciously aware that "the game" is rigged against them (Slade, 2012). Some teachers feel that boys are much less mature than girls are. Therefore, when boys and girls are in school together at the preadolescent/adolescent phase, boys will not perform as well as girls.
For years, research has provided evidence of achievement amongst girls. According to Whyte (2016), the oppositional climate between the genders that occurs in some primary school classrooms may have its origins in the nature of the tasks that are given to primary school children. For example, girls are considered to be "good at the forms of writing valued in English classrooms" (Whyte, 2016). Such forms of writing are, typically, the frequently requested fictional narrative in which "girls do seem to be very proficient" (Gilbert & Rowe, 2009).
Frequently, the best work in primary school classrooms is that of a girl (Thorne, 2013

Methodology
The research design for the study was an ex-post factor design. That is, all the research variables have already existed before the commencement of the study and hence, the researchers neither controlled nor manipulated the research variables, the data were just collected and used as they occur naturally.
The target population of the study consisted of all the Physics students that sat for West African Examination Council (WAEC) External Examinations between 2017 to 2019 in senior secondary schools in Ado LGA of Ekiti State, Nigeria.
Five senior Secondary were selected as samples. The sample comprises of 20 candidates from schools for each of the 3 consecutives WAEC examination results (that is, 2017, 2018 & 2019) examination results. This makes a total of 60 candidates' results per school and 300 candidates' result for 5 senior secondary schools selected. Two (2) single-sex schools and three (3) Mixed-schools.
The instrument for this study is scores obtained by Physics students from West African Examination Council (WAEC) Examinations 2017 to 2019.
The West African Examination Council (WAEC) Examinations 2017 to 2019 results was assumed to be valid since they are standardized examinations and the teachers-made examinations externally by the specialist in that field.
Data was collected directly from the Teaching Service Commission academic records in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The scores of students in Physics were obtained directly from the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination result sheets from Teaching Service Commission (TSC). These were used as measures of academic performance.
The letter grades of A, B, C, D, E, and F were converted to numerical grade points of 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0 respectively. The interpretation of these are 5 -Distinction, 4 -Merit, 3 -Credit, 2 -Pass and 1-Fail.. The data collected were coded and analysed using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS). The descriptive statistics, t-test was used.

Hypothesis 1
There is no significant difference in the academic performance of male and female students in Physics in mixed senior secondary schools. The analysis in table 1 shows that the calculated t-vale of 10.42 is higher than the critical value 1.63 on the basis of this, the difference is statistically significant.
Hence, the null hypothesis which states that 'there is no significant difference in the academic performance of male and female students in Physics in mixed senior secondary schools,' was rejected (tcal = 10.42, df =178). The result reveals that there is a significant difference in the academic performance of male and female students in Physics in mixed senior secondary schools.

Hypothesis 2
There is no significant difference in academic performance of male and female Physics students in singlesex senior secondary school. The analysis in table 2 indicates that the calculated t-value of 7.28 is greater than the critical value of 1.65. On the basis of this, the difference is statistically significant. Hence, the null hypothesis was rejected (tcal = 7.28, df =118). This result clearly reveals that there is a significant difference in the academic performance of male and female Physics students in single-sex senior secondary school.

Hypothesis 3
There is no significant difference in the academic performance of female students in Physics in single-sex and mixed senior secondary schools. The analysis in table 3 indicates that the calculated t-value of 3.84 is higher than the critical t-values of 1.65. On the basis of this, the difference is statistically significant. Hence, the null hypothesis which states that "there is no significant difference in academic performance of female students in Physics students in single-sex and mixed senior secondary schools" was rejected (tcal = 3.84, df =136). This implies that there is no significant difference in the academic performance of female students in Physics in single-sex and mixed senior secondary schools

Hypothesis 4
There is no significant difference in academic performance of male students in Physics students in singlesex and mixed senior secondary schools. The analysis in table 4 indicates that the calculated t-value of 9.16 is higher than the critical t-values of 1.65. On the basis of this, the difference is statistically significant. Hence, the null hypothesis which states that "there is no significant difference in academic performance of male students in Physics students in single-sex and mixed senior secondary schools was rejected (tcal = 9.16, df = 160). This implies that there is a significant difference in academic performance of male students in Physics students in single-sex and mixed senior secondary schools.

Discussion
The research investigated gender as a predictor of Physics student academic performance in senior secondary schools in Ado Local Government Area of Ekiti State. Thus, four research questions and four hypotheses were formulated and tested. The results are discussed below.
The first major finding in this study was that there was a significant difference in the academic performance of male and female students in Physics in mixed senior secondary schools. The result indicated that even after controlling for students' academic ability and other background factors, both girls and boys did significantly better in single-sex schools than in coeducational schools in all subjects. This is in consonance with the finding of king, Gurian & Stevens (2010).
Secondly, there was a significant difference in the academic performance of male and female Physics students in single-sex senior secondary school. The study reported no significant evidence to show any difference in performance between males in the single-gender stream and males in a mixed gender stream.
Thirdly, there was a significant difference in the academic performance of female students in Physics in single-sex and mixed senior secondary schools. The result also indicated that the single-gender female students performed better than the mixed-gender stream female students. Consequently, hypothesis 3 was equally rejected. Some previous findings which are in consonance with the findings of this study are those of Dianne (2012), Henry (2011) and ACER (2012) which revealed that the single-gender stream female students did better than those in the mixed-gender stream schools.
Fourthly, there was a significant difference in academic performance of male students in Physics in single-sex and mixed senior secondary schools. The four findings above on performance differences between the single-gender stream and mixed-gender stream have been justified by Harvey (2011) and Dweck (2013) who asserted that gender differences impact on learning due to differences in terms of reinforcement strategies, socio-cultural environmental variables, and gender learning due to differences in male and female genders. The reported significant difference between single and mixed stream students' performances in this study was also justified by the conceptual propositions on gender difference on language acquisition and brain structural, developmental process and functional differences (Hodgins, 2012 and Gomez, 2011).

Conclusion
For the fact that a significant difference was found between the performance of single-gender and mixedgender school with a more encouraging performance by the former, it is concluded that single-gender school proves to be more effective in attaining better academic performance than mixed-gender school in Physics in Senior Secondary Schools in Ado Local Government Area of Ekiti State.
Furthermore, since a significant difference was found between the performance of male students in single and mixed-gender schools with a more encouraging performance by those in the single-gender school, it is concluded that single-gender streaming proves to be more effective in attaining better academic performance for male students in Physics.
In view of the fact that a significant difference was found between the performance of female students in the single and mixed-gender school with those in the former performing better, it was concluded that single-gender school proves to be more effective in attaining better academic performance for female students. In addition, since a significant difference was found between the performance of male and female students in single school though the males performing slightly better than the females and that the two genders did well, it was concluded that single-gender school proves to be more effective in attaining better academic performance for both male and female students in Physics. The male students, however, were slightly more favoured.
The significant difference was found between the performance of male and female students in mixedgender school though the females performing slightly better than the males. The two genders performed differently. It is then concluded that the mixed-gender school was less effective in enhancing good academic performance for both genders and was more detrimental to male students.

Recommendations
Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that: 1. Government should train teachers, especially for single-gender education particularly if it is to be adopted. In so doing, teachers should be equipped with the knowledge and pedagogical skills to work with both boys and girls under differing learning styles, conditions, and environments. 2. Government should implement gradually the single-gender education programme in the state with every sincerity and dedication, based on deliberate and feasible policy on its planning and implementation as recommended in 1 above. 3. Teachers should not place preference on any gender. Parents and guardians should encourage both males and females to be educated and desire the great thing in life. Government should de-emphasize the use of mixed gender stream environment to deliver instruction due to the overall poor performance of both male and female students in them. 4. Government should adopt appropriate means to enhance the improvement in particular of male students' performance in mixed-gender schools. Above all, society at large should campaign against gender disparity.


SELF-EFFICACY OF JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ONLINE LEARNING

The purpose of this study was to see how students' self-efficacy towards the online learning process of mathematics subjects during the covid-19 outbreak. This study is a descriptive study that describes students' self-efficacy in mathematics subjects based on the dimensions that exist in self-efficacy and is summarized and used as a measurement tool or instrument, namely level (magnitude) related to task difficulty, strength related to the effort made by students and generality relates to the scope of students' beliefs. The instrument used is a non-test in the form of a self-efficacy questionnaire consisting of 30 statement items with 4 choices and 616 respondents from SMP/MTs students who carry out online learning. The result is that the level dimensions of Indonesian SMP/MTs students are in the medium category with a percentage of 55.04% which means that when students are faced with difficult tasks during online learning, students can overcome them. For the strength dimension, it is in the medium category with a percentage of 56.82%, this shows that the effort and resilience of Indonesian SMP/MTs students in doing assignments in online learning is quite persistent and does not give up easily. For the generality dimension, it is in the medium category with a percentage of 45.94%, which means that the confidence of Indonesian SMP/MTs students in completing different tasks is quite good. In general, the self-efficacy of Indonesian SMP/MTs students in online learning is quite good.

INTRODUCTION
In early 2020 the world was shocked by an outbreak of a disease in the form of a coronavirus or commonly known as covid-19. Indonesia is one of the countries affected by Covid-19, even now there is an increase in cases every day. The existence of Covid-19, it has had a bad impact in various sectors such as health, economy, and education, even education is the sector most affected (Purwanto et al., 2020). The direct impact is felt on the education sector with the implementation of online schools (in the network), teaching, and learning activities carried out in their respective homes by utilizing technology. The use of technology allows teaching and learning activities to occur even though they are in different places (Milman, 2015). The technology device used must be able to access information anytime and anywhere, such as cellphones, tablets, laptops, and other devices (Gikas & Grant, 2013). Learning from home is not only practiced in Indonesia, other countries exposed to Covid-19 are also doing it. Based on UNESCO data there are 290.5 million students worldwide who have to learn from home.
Learning from home which is implemented by every school in Indonesia results in students getting used to learning online, learning methods are online an alternative that can be used in the current situation (Wang et al., 2020). Learning Online refers to an instructional environment supported by the Internet (Bakia et al., 2012). Online learning consists of a variety of programs that use the Internet that can facilitate interaction between teachers and students. Learning Online is a method that can be used in distance learning. This is also said by Nguyen (2015) that online learning is a form of distance learning or distance education delivered via the internet, by utilizing the internet network, learning online can bring about various types of learning interactions and flexibility (Moore et al., 2011). Learning Online is not new, this method has been used since the 1990s (Jeong in Handayani, 2020). In its implementation, learning online involves various kinds of media such as using the WhatsApp application (So, 2016), social media in the form of Instagram and Facebook (Kumar & Nanda, 2019) as well as virtual classes using the service Zoom, Google Meet, Google Classroom, Schoology, and Edmodo.
Learning Online involves the roles of various parties such as teachers, students, and student guardians. However, both teachers and students have difficulty adapting to learning online (Handayani, 2020) and even teachers in various regions are not yet proficient in using internet technology or social media (Purwanto et al., 2020). Another obstacle that must be faced in learning online is the availability of internet services, both teachers and students have to spend money to buy learning support data packages (Firman & Rahayu, 2020). Firman and Rahayu also said that learning online allows abuse and use of gadgets excessive, which raises concerns for students who do not pay attention to learning and are exposed to wrong information (Siddiqui & Singh, 2016). In learning the online teacher cannot directly monitor what students are doing, so the teacher will find it difficult to see students who focus and pay attention when learning. Thus it is recommended that learning online is no more than one hour because students will find it difficult to maintain their concentration if it is more than that (Greenhalgh-Spencer, 2014).

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Of the various kinds of obstacles to learning online described above, how are students' attitudes towards their ability to understand and solve math problems? Students' confidence in their abilities is one of the components in the affective domain of mathematics learning called self-efficacy. Bandura (2009) says that self-efficacy as a person's belief about their abilities results in a defined level of performance that influences activities and influences their 'life'. In line with Bandura, Bilgin et al., also said that self-efficacy is an individual's judgment about what to do and how much they can do to solve a problem that might occur (Bilgin et al., 2015). Self-efficacy has its influence on a person's life activities. Measurement of self-efficacy students can be summarized into three dimensions, namely: 1) Level (magnitude); 2) Strength; and 3) Generality (Zimmerman, 2000).
The level dimension is a dimension related to task difficulty. The difficulty of the given mathematics task affects the level of self-efficacy student, whether the student's self-confidence is limited to easy tasks, medium tasks, or even the most difficult tasks. The dimension strength relates to the effort made by students. The amount of effort made by students affects the level of resilience and resilience in completing assignments so that in the end it affects the level of self-efficacy of a student, whether students have low, medium, or high resilience when students try to complete math assignments. The dimension generality relates to the scope of students' beliefs in completing math tasks. A student can have high confidence in completing assignments in certain fields, but do not have sufficient confidence in completing tasks in other fields.
The purpose of this study was to see how self-efficacy of students towards the learning process online amid the Covid-19 outbreak. By applying learning online to mathematics material can cause student anxiety (Maloney & Beilock, 2012) this is because students tend to consume limited cognitive resources and there are various kinds of disorders. Alqurashi (2016) also states that the role of self-efficacy in learning environment online still requires further investigation, especially on several aspects. The aspects referred to in this study are the dimensions of level, strength, and generality.

METHOD
This research is a descriptive study that aims to determine the selfefficacy of students in learning mathematics online. In self-efficacy, 3 dimensions can be summarized and used as a measurement tool or instrument, namely the level (magnitude) related to task difficulty, strength related to the effort made by students, and gender-related to the scope of student beliefs. The instrument used was a non-test in the form of a questionnaire self-efficacy consisting of 30 statements with 4 choices. There are 15 items of positive statements and 15 items of negative statements with the choice score being the opposite of the score on the positive statement. Grains such statement is based on indicator self-efficacy with 3 dimensions, for dimension level, there are 10 items, dimensions strength contained 12 grains and dimension generality are 8 points.
The population in this study were Indonesian SMP/MTs students who are currently doing online schooling due to the covid-19 pandemic, the research sample was SMP/MTs students who ISSN 2089-8703 (Print)  were doing online learning on mathematics subjects and were selected using a simple random sampling technique, which is a sampling technique that provides equal opportunity for all members of the population to be assigned as members of the sample. Determination of the number of samples using the Slovin formula with an error tolerance limit of 0.05, based on this formula a minimum of 400 students must be used. Data was collected by distributing questionnaires on google form and then analyzed by categorizing each dimension according to the following formula: i Maksimum score + Minimum score M= 2 (1) Maksimum score -Minimum score Sdi= 6 (2) Description: Mi: Ideal Average Sdi: Standard Deviation To see the self-efficacy category, consider Table 1.  (Azwar, 2017) Each dimension is calculated based on the formulas and criteria in table 1, then these dimensions are explained and described so that the results obtained of self-efficacy are a student during online learning.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Questionnaires are distributed throughout SMP / MTs in Indonesia, especially in schools that carry out online learning, 616 students are filling out questionnaires where the number exceeds the minimum limit that has been determined. Based on the questionnaire that has been distributed, there is a choice of platforms used in the online learning process, namely learning management system, video conference, video service, and chat application. The most widely used platforms are learning management system in the form of Google Classroom, Schoology, Moodle, Edmodo, e-learning schools, and others. The use of a learning management system in the online learning process is considered easier because the features in it can support the assignment, material, or evaluation questions also all of these things can be loaded in one platform so that both teachers and students can access easily. Bogdanović et al., (2014) also said that a learning management system is one of the most frequently used platforms as a solution in online learning.
The questionnaires that have been filled by students are processed to see the self-efficacy of learning online in math subjects. The data were analyzed to see how students' self-efficacy in each dimension, ranging from level dimensions, strength to generality. For level dimension results with 4 positive statements and 6 negative statements can be seen in Table 2.

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Based on Table 2, in general, the self-efficacy of students who carry out learning online at the level dimension falls into the medium category with a percentage of 55.04%. This means that when students are faced with difficult assignments during learning online, students can overcome them. In principle, when students are in the medium category in the level dimension, it means that students do not easily give up and give up on tasks that are done even though it is difficult, but students will give up if they have done it and do not succeed in completing it (Sunaryo, 2017).
For the results of the dimension strength with 5 positive statements and 3 negative statements, it can be seen in Table 3. Basen on the data in Table 3, in general, the self-efficacy of students who carry out learning online on the dimension stress falls into the medium category with a percentage of 56.82%. The dimension of strength that falls into the medium category means that it shows the effort and resilience of students in doing assignments. Thus students in the moderate category are quite persistent in completing assignments even though they do not have the supporting experience, in this case, students are quite optimistic about doing assignments (Sunaryo, 2017).
For the results of the dimension generality with 6 positive statements and 6 negative statements, it can be seen Table 4. From the data in Table 4, in general, the self-efficacy of students who carry out learning online on the dimension generality falls into the medium category with a percentage of 45.94%. This means that students' confidence in completing different tasks is quite good. Students in the moderate category in the dimension generality try to complete different tasks but have not been able to complete them properly (Sunaryo, 2017).
In the next step, the data is analyzed to see how self-efficacy of students who take learning online in its entirety without dividing it into each dimension. Following are the results of the questionnaire analysis with 15 positive statements and 15 negative statements. It can be seen in Table 5. | 969 moderate category indicated by the largest percentage, namely 53.73%. This means that students have selfefficacy good enough even though learning is implemented online. Self-efficacy Sufficient student indicates that learning online is not too bad to implement. By implementing learning online provides several benefits such as facilitating each student's learning style (Wardani et al., 2018). Students with audio, visual, and kinesthetic learning styles can get knowledge according to their learning styles by involving the internet and the use of learning management system and video applications. Learning online that implements the use of video applications also has a good influence on the learning process, involving and utilizing video can serve as a powerful teaching tool (Hansch et al., 2015) be it videos from YouTube or videos made by teachers themselves. By applying to learn online that can be accessed anytime and anywhere, it makes it easier for students to learn by adapting to conditions and situations or being more flexible (Moore et al., 2011).

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
Self-efficacy is a belief in a person's ability to complete a task which can be seen in 3 dimensions, namely the dimensions of level, strength, and generality. In the results of this study, the dimensions of the level of Indonesian SMP / MTs students are in the medium category with a percentage of 55.04% which means that when students are faced with difficult tasks during learning online, students can overcome them. The dimension strength is in the medium category with a percentage of 56.82%, this shows that the efforts and resilience of Indonesian SMP / MTs students in doing assignments in learning are online quite persistent and do not give up easily. The dimension generality is in the medium category with a percentage of 45.94%, which means that Indonesian SMP / MTs students' confidence in completing different tasks is quite good. In general, the self-efficacy of Indonesian SMP / MTs students in learning online is quite good, this indicates that learning online is not too bad to be implemented with the help of more supportive learning facilities and facilities.
In taking more time data prepared to get the maximum data, the questionnaire items used can be summarized so that respondents do not mind filling out the questionnaire. In the future, student self-efficacy research can also be carried out during face-to-face learning in mathematics


THE USE OF A DIGITAL MICROSCOPE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUNG SCHOOLCHILDREN'S IDEAS ABOUT PLANTS, ANIMALS AND FUNGI

At present the use of technical teaching aids based on digital technologies in the educational process in primary schools is gaining special relevance, and the digital microscope is indicated in a number of syllabi for the course "Nature study" in primary schools in the section “Material and technical support”. The teacher is free to decide on what topics, in the study of what objects or natural phenomena, with the use of what methods to use this teaching tool. The aim of the study is to identify the influence of the use of the digital microscope on the development of children’s ideas about plants, animals and fungi in primary school. The pedagogical experiment was carried out for 2 years on the basis of two secondary schools in the city of Kirov, Russian Federation. 140 third grade students (72 students in the experimental group and 68 students in the control group) took part in the experiment. For the development of ideas about plants, animals and fungi in primary school children at Nature study lessons two methods were implemented: with the use of the digital microscope (in the experimental group) and without its use (in the control group).
The results of testing third-graders before and after the teaching experiment showed that the use of the digital microscope in the classroom contributed to students’ better assimilation of knowledge about the diversity of plants, their respiration, nutrition, reproduction and development, the diversity of animals, their reproduction and development, and the diversity of fungi than in the lessons which did not use the microscope. This is proved by statistically significant differences in the test results of the experimental and control groups after the experiment.
The findings of the study can provide a starting point for subject curriculum developers and teachers interested in using the digital microscope in primary school education.

INTRODUCTION
Formulation of the problem. In the Russian Federation, the federal state educational standard for primary general education (hereinafter referred to as the FSES PGE) establishes requirements for the results of students who have mastered the basic educational program of primary general education. Requirements for subject outcomes include "student's experience gained in the course of studying the subject of the given subject area on the acquisition of new knowledge, its transformation and application, as well as the system of fundamental elements of scientific knowledge that underlie the modern scientific picture of the world " [1, p. 8]. To achieve the planned results of the FSES PGE, the requirements for the facilities involved in the educational process, including those providing students with observation of micro-objects, have been determined.
The digital microscope is an innovative teaching tool, it is indicated in the Model Basic Educational Program of Primary General Education [2], in a number of syllabi of the course "Nature study" in the list of the equipment, and the teacher is free to decide on which topics and in the study of what objects and natural phenomena to use the indicated equipment.
Thus, at present, the use of technical teaching aids based on digital technologies in the educational process in primary school is of particular relevance.
A digital microscope is a type of traditional optical microscope that uses optics and a digital camera to output a digital image to a personal computer monitor. Compared to an optical microscope, the digital microscope has several advantages. Both transparent and opaque objects may be used. To study objects of larger sizes than with a light microscope. To take photos or make videos of microscopic objects. All data is automatically saved on the computer's hard drive. You can sign photos, leave pointers, copy sections of the image, or print them on paper.
The use of the digital microscope in the learning process makes it possible: that both single student and whole group may study simultaneously the researchable object, since the information is displayed on a computer monitor and on a projection screen; to use images of objects as a demonstration to explain the topic; to study the microscopic object in real time; to create presentation photos and videos with respect to the topic being studied.
From the quotation above it follows that the FSES PGE defines the requirements for children's acquisition of fundamental elements of scientific knowledge that underlie the modern scientific worldview; the scientific ideas about plants, animals and fungi are certainly among them.
Analysis of recent researches and publications. In the scientific literature, information on the use of the microscope in primary school is scarce and very scattered. So, in the studies of Baroni P., Cadenelli N., Caprara B. et al. on the use of the digital microscope, the analysis of the user interface program is proposed, which allows the use of the digital microscope in kindergartens and primary schools, the results of testing the use of the digital microscope in primary schools are presented [3]. Oliver J., Garcia B. assess traditional and digital microscopy in the school educational process, provide examples of the use of microscopes in classes of different levels, including in primary schools, describe initiatives aimed at encouraging the use of microscopes in teaching schoolchildren [4]. Gabdulinova K.G. gives examples of digital microscope models that are used in Russian primary schools [5].
A number of studies are devoted to the problem of studying microbiology by younger schoolchildren. In the study of Mafra P., Lima N., Carvalho G. S., fourth grade students (9-10 yearolds) in the course of experimental activities examined dental plaque samples using the microscope before and after brushing their teeth [6]. In the experiment of Pavan C., Santovito G., third grade students observed bacteria and yeast [7]. In the work of Lago A., Masiero S., Bramuzzo S. et al. the results of familiarizing primary school students with the use of yeast and bacteria in the food industry are presented on the example of the production of bread and yoghurt [8].
Gaiotto A., Tonon S, Santovito G. give the results of the experiment on studying plants and their seasonal changes using the stereoscope and the optical microscope in the first grade [9], Toninato V., Santovit G. write about studying flowers and inflorescences using the experimental method and the stereoscope in the second grade [10]. In the study of Rossi E., Santovito G., fifth grade primary school students studied Mendel's genetics in the form adapted to their age, using various genetic strains of the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) [11]. The work of Allen J., Healy N. presents the results of the study on the use of the microscope when studying light in the classroom in primary school [12].
The general conclusion that can be traced in all of the works is as follows. According to the researchers, the use of the microscope (optical or digital) in the primary school educational process allows the use of teaching methods that promote the activation of children's cognitive activity, makes the studied material accessible for children's understanding, motivates them, and this ensures development of the scientific culture and interest in science.
At the same time, as the analysis of the literature has shown, there is currently a lack of research on studying the influence of the use of the digital microscope on the level of the development of a whole range of ideas about plants, animals and fungi in primary school children. For example, ideas about the diversity of plants, their respiration, nutrition, reproduction and development; the diversity of animals, their reproduction and development; diversity of fungi.
The purpose of the article is to highlight the effectiveness of the use of the digital microscope as a means of developing ideas about plants, animals and fungi in primary school children. The tasks were to give examples of objects of nature, as well as methods and means of teaching in the process of developing ideas about plants, animals and fungi in younger schoolchildren at "Nature study" lessons using the digital microscope; to compare the results of assessment of students' knowledge obtained during the pedagogical experiment.

RESEARCH METHODS
Theoretical and empirical methods were used in the research to study the influence of the use of the digital microscope on the formation of ideas about plants, animals and fungi in primary school children. Systematization, comparison and generalization of scientific provisions were used to identify the pedagogical conditions for the formation of natural science concepts in younger students using the digital microscope. Empirical methods that were used are: pedagogical experiment, testing, questioning, statistical method (Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test).
The pedagogical experiment to identify the influence of the use of the digital microscope on the development of ideas about plants, animals and fungi in younger schoolchildren was conducted by students of the Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology of Vyatka State University (Kirov, the Russian Federation) as a part of work on their master's thesis in 2016-2017 academic year (pedagogical experiment # 1) and two bachelor's final qualifying works in 2017-2018 academic year (pedagogical experiments # 2 and 3).
In total, 140 third grade students of secondary schools # 16 and 58 in Kirov took part in the experiment, of which 72 students made up the experimental group (Nature study lessons were conducted using the digital microscope) and 68 students were in the control group (Nature study lessons were conducted without using the digital microscope).
The topics of the lessons: "Diversity of plants", "The sun, plants and you and us", "Reproduction and development of plants", "Diversity of animals", "Reproduction and development of animals", "In the kingdom of fungi" were determined taking into account the syllabus "Nature study" by A.A. Pleshakova, which is one of the most popular syllabi in primary school.
For the experimental study six tests, which were developed for the above mentioned syllabus, were selected and modified. Each test includes 10 test tasks that require choosing the correct answer from the proposed. Tasks 1-8 allow checking the basic level of development of ideas on the topic. Tasks 9-10 are complicated, formulated in such a way that the student can show how he/she is able to apply the acquired knowledge in practice, see the main point, and establish cause-and-effect relationships between man and nature, between individual objects of nature.
Criteria for assessing the development of natural science ideas by topics: "Diversity of plants": ideas about groups of plants: algae, mosses, conifers, flowering and common essential characteristics of plants of each group; examples of plants of each group; the ability to distinguish groups of plants by their characteristics.
"The sun, plants and you and us": ideas about respiration and nutrition of plants, substances involved in these processes; the role of leaves in the respiration and nutrition of plants; the ability to identify the organs involved in plant nutrition and characterize the role of light in this process.
"Reproduction and development of plants": ideas about pollen and pollination of plants by insects; ways of spreading fruits; stages of plant development; the ability to determine adaptations of fruits to spread by wind and animals, to determine the role of flowers in the formation of fruits.
"Diversity of animals": ideas about groups of animals: mollusks, crustaceans, insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and animals and general essential characteristics of animals of each group; examples of animals of each group; the ability to attribute animal species to the corresponding animal groups.
"Reproduction and development of animals": knowledge of the initial and subsequent stages in the development of animals of each group; the ability to identify some of the characteristics of animals at different stages of development.
"In the kingdom of fungi": knowledge of the parts of the fungi (for example, cap mushrooms), the diversity of fungi, their role in nature; the ability to distinguish between edible and poisonous mushrooms, to determine the role of fungi in nature.
Taking into account the selected criteria, there were determined four levels of development of third-graders' concepts about plants, animals and fungi: high level, above-average level, medium level and low level.
Lessons with and without the digital microscope were included in the educational process in accordance with the calendar-thematic planning of Nature study lessons. In total, 28 lessons were held on 6 topics (12 lessons in experiment # 1 and 8 lessons in experiments # 2 and # 3). The type of the lesson was combined. The leading teaching methods were visual: demonstration of the natural object and phenomenon, demonstration of the experiment. The choice of visual teaching methods was associated with the provision of the primary classes of the city with microscopes (no more than one or two microscopes per primary school).
Educational tools: Levenhuk-50 digital microscope with Levenhuk C-Series digital camera, Digital Blue QX5 digital microscope, laptop, projector, screen; living objects of nature or their parts (plants, animals, fungi), or finished specimens; auxiliary laboratory equipment (slides and cover slides, beakers of thin glass with water, pipette, tweezers, microscopic needle, etc.).

Justification of the teaching methodology with the use of the digital microscope
In the process of working on the development of ideas about plants, animals and fungi in thirdgraders, the methodology for formation of natural science ideas by Klepinina Z.A., Akvileva G.N. [13], Pakulova V.M., Kuznetsova V.I. [13], Usova A. .B. [14] and others was taken into account. According to it, the conditions for formation of adequate perceptions are: observation of natural objects, the accurate and vivid word of the teacher, exercises that clarify perception, practical work involving all senses of children, increasing children's activity, relying on their knowledge and life experience. The conditions for formation of correct ideas are: formulation of questions and tasks that require reproduction of sensations, organization of exercises to recognize and distinguish between objects of nature, a sketch from memory, filling in tables, diagrams.
For realization of conditions for formation of correct ideas, after demonstration of each specimen on the wide screen, children independently worked with task cards. The tasks on the cards are aimed at recognizing and distinguishing the features of objects and phenomena being studied. The use of this technique was also based on the study of Herrlinger S., Hoeffler T. N. on the impact of work with images when studying biology in the fourth grade [16]. Sketches from memory, according to Ainsworth Sh., Prain V. and Tytler R. contribute to visualization of objects and phenomena, allow students to make discoveries, explain results, and arouse interest [17].
Teaching methods: demonstration of natural objects and demonstration of experiment were implemented in accordance with the recommendations of Z.A. Klepinina and Akvileva G.N. [12].
In Nature study lessons in experimental classes, development of students' ideas about plants, animals and fungi was carried out on the basis of the ideas, means and teaching methods presented in Table 1  Table 1 Natural science ideas and objects, methods for their formation using the digital microscope at Nature study lessons in the third grade with the use of the digital microscope

Main results of the pedagogical experiment
At the ascertaining stage of the pedagogical experiment, the majority of students of the experimental and control groups showed an average level of development of concepts about plants, animals and fungi (59.72% and 57.45%, respectively) ( Fig.1)

Fig.1. Levels of development of third-graders' concepts about plants, animals and fungi at the ascertaining and control stages of the pedagogical experiment
At the control stage of the pedagogical experiment conducted in the experimental group (lessons were conducted using the digital microscope), number of students having a high level of development of concepts about plants, animals and fungi were 12.5 times more than in the control group, number of children with an above average level were up by 4.68%; children with an average level of development of concepts about plants, animals and fungi were less by 2, 3 times than in the control group. No children with a low level has been observed. In the control group, children with a low level of concepts were 8.33%.

Ascertaining experiment Control experiment
At the stage of the control experiment, the test results showed significant differences between the groups in terms of the degree of acquisition of knowledge about plants, animals and fungi by children.
So, with respect to the topic "The Sun, plants and we are with you", the most difficult questions for children were those related to the respiration and nutrition of plants. The number of children who correctly stated that during respiration plants absorb oxygen from the air and emit carbon dioxide, was 2.5 times higher in the experimental group than in the control one.
Questions about small and microscopic animals were difficult for children when studying "Animal diversity" topic. The number of students who demonstrated knowledge about such animals was 2 times higher in the experimental group than in the control one. These children pointed out that animals include both unicellular (paramecium caudatum) and crustaceans (artemia, daphnia).
While studying topic "In the kingdom of mushrooms", children had difficulties with matters about the diversity of mushrooms. In the experimental group, number of children with a good knowledge of the variety of fungi were 5.6 times more than children belonging to the control group. Based on the results of studies with the use of the digital microscope, children reliably attributed to mushrooms not only the champignon, but also yeast and mold. Table 2 shows the results of testing the students of the experimental and control groups, obtained in the course of the pedagogical experiments Table 2 The Note. n1,n2, n3,N -number of students in the experimental group in pedagogical experiments # 1, 2 and 3; m1, m2, m3, M -number of students in the control group in pedagogical experiments # 1, 2, and 3.

number of correctly completed test tasks (on average out of 10 tasks) by third-graders and empirical values of the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney criterion at the ascertaining and control stages of the pedagogical experiment
The number of correctly completed test tasks (on average out of 10 tasks) in pedagogical experiments # 1-3 in experimental classes at the stage of the control experiment, that is, after the training experiment, was 1.2-1.3 times higher than in the control classes.
The overall results for the three pedagogical experiments showed similar results. In the experimental group after the training experiment the number of correctly completed tasks was 2.24 higher than it was before, whereas it was only 0.97 in the control classes.
The empirical values of the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney criterion indicate that the use of the digital microscope in the process of developing ideas about plants, animals and fungi in teaching third-graders leads to statistically significant differences in the results in the experimental and control groups.
One of the most noticeable features of lessons using the digital microscope was the students' consistently high cognitive interest in the material being studied. This was evidenced by the children's desire to take seats closer to the microscope and the screen, their questions addressed to the teacher, the desire to participate in activities on their own initiative, and active use of the acquired knowledge. A joyful atmosphere reigned in the lesson, children were expecting new "discoveries" related to the microcosm. The students' cognitive interest in studying nature using the digital microscope is proved, in particular, by their answers in the questionnaire. When asked if they wanted to learn more about nature, all the children answered affirmatively, for example, they wrote: "I really want to learn all about nature. I understand better with the microscope." The obtained results of children's observations are consistent with the conclusions of Siry C., Brendel M. about the inseparable role of emotions in teaching science in primary school [18].

CONCLUSIONS AND PROSPECTS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
The purpose of this research work was to present the results of using the digital microscope as a means of developing ideas about plants, animals, and fungi in primary school children.
At the stage of children's perception of the observed object using the digital microscope it is required to strive to create the following conditions: observation of the object by schoolchildren should be accompanied by special tasks aimed at clarifying perception; the teacher needs to express thoughts briefly, accurately, logically, so that the verbal description of the object coincides with what children observe. At the stage of forming representations it is necessary to formulate questions and tasks that require reproduction of sensations, sketches from memory, filling in tables, diagrams. During such work sensory experience is recreated. The teacher is to lead children to the knowledge of the general through the study of the singular, the particular. This approach is extremely important in relation to younger students, whose psychophysiological feature of thinking is concreteness and figurativeness. Consequently, if in the process of forming natural science ideas teachers use the digital microscope, they should select objects reflecting a single idea or containing it as an element.
The conducted pedagogical experiments showed that the use of the digital microscope in the Nature study lessons in the process of developing ideas about plants, animals and fungi in younger schoolchildren leads to statistically significant improvement in students' performance compared to traditional lessons. Students demonstrated a higher level of knowledge about diversity of plants, their respiration, nutrition, reproduction and development; diversity of animals, their reproduction and development; diversity of fungi.
According to the researches of Pentin A.Yu., Kovaleva G.N., Davydova E.I. and Smirnova E.S., and the results of international studies TIMSS-2015, Russian primary school graduates were more successful in natural science tasks for reproducing knowledge ("knowledge") and use ("use"), they were to a lesser extent successful in explaining phenomena or describing observations ("reasoning"). According to the authors, in order for the natural science curriculum for the Russian primary school to meet modern requirements for the preparation of younger schoolchildren in the field of natural science, the changes should to a greater extent affect the methods of teaching natural science, which should be aimed at maintaining and stimulating the curiosity of younger students, their natural desire to explore nature [19]. We are convinced that such teaching methods should be associated with the use of the digital microscope.
The data obtained in the study can be used to develop syllabi in the subject and by primary school teachers interested in using the digital microscope in the process of developing students' ideas about plants, animals and fungi. The prospects for our further research are associated with identifying the influence of teaching methods, first of all practical methods of using the digital microscope, on development of ideas about plants, animals and fungi in primary schoolchildren.


The Relationship Between Educational Level of Fertile Age Women and Contraception Knowledge to Prevent the Unwanted Pregnancy in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era

Indonesia has the potential for a baby boom after the COVID-19 pandemic. The cause of this issue is the decline of contraception used by fertile age couples. The decline of contraception used lead to unwanted pregnancies. This study were conducted to find out the relationship about educational level in fertile age women regarding contraception. This cross-sectional study was done in 27 provinces in Indonesia and it was found about 279 fertile age women with different educational backgrounds. The respondents who met the inclusion criteria were married women by 104 people from 19 different provinces. The educational level groupings are intermediate (Middle School and High School), vocational (D1/D2/D3), and higher education (Bachelor/Master). The respondents were asked to answer questions about contraceptives through questionnaires distributed on social media. Next, the data were process by using univariate dan bivariate as well as the chi square test with 24 version of SPSS. The result showed that 53.8% of respondents who have good knowledge about contraception, respondents who have poor knowledge about contraceptives are 46.2%. There is a relationship between educational level of fertile age women and knowledge about contraception (p-value: 0,001), and the unmet need is one of the factors which causes unwanted pregnancies, therefore, the efforts are needed to eliminate unmet need to reduce the incidence of unwanted pregnancies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

INTRODUCTION
The lower middle class people with low educational background are estimated to be the biggest problems to the baby boom that will be experienced by Indonesia since they have a greater risk of having an unwanted pregnancy in the pandemic era compared to the well-educated people. The reasons for the increase in the pregnancy rate are lack of public knowledge and difficult access to health care facilities to do a family planning programs. These cases are supported with a research in Papua New Guinea which discovered that there are 53.6% of women have knowledge to the danger signs of pregnancy from the clinic workers while the remaining 46.4% do not have knowledge because they do not get antenatal education related to the danger signs of pregnancy [1].
World Population Prospects recorded that the Total Fertility Rate in the world in 2018 was 2.467 children per woman [2]. Meanwhile in 2019 the Total Fertility Rate was 2.458 children per woman, and in 2020 showed a decrease of 0.41 to 2,448 children per woman [2]. Therefore, for 3 consecutive years the calculation of the Total Fertility Rate continues to decline although not significantly. The Total Fertility Rate in Indonesia in 2018 was 2.32 children per woman [2]. Whilst, the data in 2019 showed the number of 2.3 children per woman and in 2020 was 2.28 children per woman [3]. Thus, the TFR in Indonesia comparable to the decline in TFR in the world. Even if the TFR has decreased every year, the results of the population census in 2020 found Indonesia's population of 270.20 million people [2]. The number of population increase of 32.56 million people when compared to the census results in 2010 [4].
The 2020 Population Census pointed that productive age percentage (15-64 years old) was 70.72% [5]. Family Planning Programs by Badan Kependudukan dan Keluarga Berencana (BKKBN) has a big responsibility to reduce the birth rate or Total Fertility Rate (TFR) [6]. BKKBN targeted TFR to be 2.26 children per woman in 2020 according to government instruction [6]. However, United Nation (2020) recorded Indonesia TFR was 2.28 children per woman which indicated that BKKBN have not met the target [2].
Vollset et al., (2020) discovered the reason for the decline in birth rates in some countries is because women tend to delay marriage and childbirth because they choose to be more educated and working [7]. Kusyanto (2018) stated that the decline of fertility rate is also caused by the increase in the use of contraception due to interventions for family planning, modernization, and socio-economic development [8]. Meanwhile, the cause of the decline in the birth rate in Indonesia is the reduced birth rate due to community participation in family planning programs [6].
The World Bank stated that the birth rate will have a negative impact in various aspects [9]. The negative impact that will occur is the increase of maternal and child mortality rates due to no gap between pregnancies, uneven fulfillment of children's education due to difficulties in providing access to education, population growth gaps and economic growth due to high birth rates not being matched by an even population distribution, and natural imbalances due to high community needs to natural wealth without preserving its sustainability [9].
The government suppresses the high birth rate in Indonesia by promoting family planning programs, however, the government experiencing obstacles due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The government then took a big decision to carry out social restrictions to control the increasingly widespread transmission. The social restrictions eventually impacted in a lack of public contact with health workers who also began to focus on dealing with the pandemic. Therefore, the contraceptive users have decreased because access to contraceptive services is hampered. The data showed that the contraceptive users in February 2020 were 941.181, however in March 2020 recorded that there were 591.667 participants [6]. Hence, fertile age couples (PUS) with 4T (Too Young, Too Early, Too Often, Too Old) are expected to use the contraception in order to prevent an unwanted pregnancy.
The other government policies in health service especially in the Family Planning Services such as encourage fertile age couples to delay pregnancy, health workers who provide services are required to use PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and clients are required to wear masks and make prior arrangements, health service officers in collaboration with Family Planning Field Officers to ensure the availability of pills and condoms and distribute to clients who need it, make it Copyright © 2021, Placentum: Jurnal Ilmiah Kesehatan dan Aplikasinya, ISSN 2303-3746, e ISSN 2620-9969 easier for the public to access information on family planning services.
Health workers who are able to contributed in suppressing the birth rate, one of which is a midwife, in accordance with the Law on Midwifery No. 4 of 2019 Article 46 states that midwives are tasked with providing services, one of them is about reproductive health and family planning programs together or independently. Article 47 of the same law states that midwives can act as providers and managers of midwifery services, extension workers, counselors as well as the activator and women empowerment. In addition, midwives are also authorized to provide education, information, communication, counseling and provide contraceptive services in accordance with applicable laws and regulations (Law No. 4, 2019).
Yulianti A (2020) stated that even if health services have met service standards, there are still some people who are reluctant to visit health care facilities for reproductive health checks or consultations regarding pregnancy for fear of being infected, the advices for postponing pregnancy, and the unpreparedness of services in terms of facilities and infrastructure. Sugi Purwanti, (2020) supported the statement with adding that the more incorrect information about COVID-19 has been spread on social media networks, making people even more afraid of getting infected when they are going to carry out family planning services [10].

METHODS
The data were from questionnaires distributed through social media such as Instagram, Twitter, and Whatsapp. The respondents' criteria were fertile age married women and live in Indonesia with various educational background. The respondents were asked to answer 18 questions which have previously been tested for validity and reliability tests so that they can represent their knowledge of contraceptives. The questions given include the definition, types, benefits, side effects, how to install, how it works, and the disadvantages of using contraceptives.
In accordance to the distributed questionnaires, were obtained 279 fertile age women come from 27 provinces with different educational backgrounds. The respondents who met the inclusion criteria namely married are 104 people from 19 different provinces. The education level groupings are, intermediate (Middle School and High School), vocational (D1/D2/D3), and higher education (Bachelor/Master/Doctoral).
First, the data were being clean to categorize the eligible and non-eligible data then perform coding and data processing using IBM SPSS version 24. The data that has been obtained were analyzed by using univariate and bivariate to determine whether or not there is a correlation between education and fertile age women knowledge regarding contraceptives.  According to the second table, namely fertile age women with an educational background of D1/D2/D3, it was found that 24.2% of respondents had good knowledge and the remaining 75.8% had poor knowledge.  The result based on the analysis using Chi-Square Test showed the P-value 0,001 to Pvalue < α (0,001 < 0,05), therefore Ho was rejected and it can be concluded that there was a relationship between the level of education and knowledge about contraceptives.

A. The Distribution of Education Levels of Fertile Age Women in Indonesia
Based on the research that has been done, it was found that from 17 respondents with a Middle School / High School education level who have good knowledge of contraceptives there were 4 people, while 33 respondents with an education level of D1 / D2 / D3 found there were 25 fertile age women have good knowledge of contraceptives, and 54 respondents with education level Bachelor/Master there were 27 samples who have good knowledge about contraceptives. Setiasih et al., (2016) found that there was a significant effect of education level on the perception of couples of fertile age (PUS) especially women regarding family planning programs (KB) [11]. The higher the education of a woman at fertile age, the more positive their perception of family planning is, and vice versa. Karmila et al. (2020) also states that the low education of women of fertile age will affect the mindset in understanding the importance of using contraceptives and how to use them therefore they do not want to apply it in everyday life [12].
Fertile age women with low education background caused low mindset in understanding the important of using contraceptives. If it is difficult to understand the important of using contraceptives, therefore, it will be difficult to convince about the important of contraceptives in order to help maintain pregnancy distance [12]. Low education will also affect the mindset of fertile age women to accept and understand how to use every available contraceptives so they do not want to use it in everyday life [12].

B. The Education Levels of Fertile Age Women in Indonesia
Based on the research that has been done, it was found that there were variety education levels of fertile age women as respondents, it was found 56 respondents with good knowledge and 48 respondents with low knowledge. Mubarak (2011) stated that there were 7 factors can affect the knowledge such as education, occupation, age, interest, experience, environment and information. The information about contraceptives can be obtained through counselling conducted by midwives, doctors and other health workers. Besides, the education levels of each fertile age women itself will help them to understand the knowledge gained [13].
People's knowledge of using contraceptives does not only depend on government or the health workers, however it is also influenced by the education levels of women. Handayani, Beyna, and Nur Indah Rahmawati (2016) stated the result of a research in Argomulyo Village, Bantul, Yogyakarta that the education levels of couples in fertile age either male or female effect the choice of the type of contraceptives they use [14].
The need of contraceptives which unfulfilled is known as unmet need. . The research stated that many unmet need of family planning was caused by various factors, including women who faced financial, educational, geographical, and social barriers [15]. There were findings in social conditions that lack a high level of unmet need, however, it is also found that there is a high level of unmet need in adequate economic conditions so that education is another factor behind the occurrence of unmet need. Women with unmet need are usually sexually active but do not use contraceptive methods, but they do not want to have more children or delay having another child so that it shows reproductive intentions that are contrary to their behavior [16]. Based on the data that has been presented, it can be seen that the highest frequency with good knowledge was at the level of education D1/D2/D3, which was 75.8% (Table 2), while the level of education with low knowledge was mostly dominated by Middle School and High School education was 76.5% (Table 1). This statement was supported by Mubarak (2011) that the level of education was one of the things that affect knowledge because education is an attempt to develop a person's personality and abilities in order to understand something. Education affects the learning process, the higher a person's education, the easier it is for that person to receive information. Knowledge is very closely related to education where it is expected that someone with higher education will have more extensive knowledge [13] .

CONCLUSION
There were several conclusions based on the results of the research that has been done, they were: respondents which have good knowledge about contraceptives more than respondents which have low knowledge. There was relation between the education levels of fertile age women with the knowledge of contraceptives.
The research we have been doing is using the latest data and sources. This article employed 106 fertile age women from 19 provinces. The article has the respondent's limitation because Indonesia has 34 provinces. For the further research, we recommend to use more respondents and from all province in Indonesia.