Semarang — The Physics Education Study Program held a guest lecture featuring international speaker Hj Hardimah Hj M Said, Ph.D., from the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. This activity is part of an international collaboration under the 2026 Overseas Matching Grant scheme with Dr. Ellianawati.
In the current semester, Dr. Hardimah is also appointed as a collaborating lecturer in the Physics Education Study Program, specifically for the Research Methodology in Physics Education course. In this guest lecture, she elaborated on qualitative research and its application in physics education research.
The guest lecture was conducted in two sessions, on March 31, 2026, and April 14, 2026. Before the sessions, students conducted preliminary research by interviewing teachers and students. They worked in groups of 4–5 members to gather relevant data.
From the teachers’ perspective, students identified challenges in delivering physics content, obstacles encountered during laboratory activities, and the need for instructional materials and learning tools. From the students’ perspective, the collected data included topics in physics perceived as difficult, challenges faced during learning, and preferred learning approaches.
These data became the basis for discussion during the guest lecture. Through an interactive session, Dr. Hardimah emphasized that the data collected by the students are qualitative in nature, and that the procedures they had undertaken already constitute essential components of qualitative research.
The discussion was engaging and enthusiastically received. Students gained new insights that qualitative research is highly feasible in the context of physics education, though it requires careful, time-intensive data analysis.
This guest lecture provided students with a valuable academic experience, particularly in preparing their undergraduate theses. It is expected that this activity will further equip students to conduct high-quality, relevant research in physics education.
