ABSTRACT
Mastering basic concepts of biotechnology laboratory work is a crucial competency to be achieved by biology education students. This research is aimed at observing the competency level of biology education students in comprehending their basic concepts of biotechnology laboratory work. The population of this survey research was students in the sixth semester of the Department of Biology Education, University of Muhammadiyah, Malang. The sample was 71 students comprising 14 male and 57 female students. The collected data were analyzed descriptively to determine student ability in mastering basic concepts of biotechnology laboratory work. Moreover, the differences among sample groups based on two parameters (gender and academic level) were determined using Kruskal Walis and Mann-Whitney Tests as the prerequisite for parametric statistics were not met. The findings showed that the basic competency of the majority of biology education students was low (no more than 40% of students answered the question correctly). In addition, even though there was no difference between male and female students in mastering biotechnology laboratory work concepts, they were significantly different based on an academic level. Based on the findings, it was suggested for lecturers as well as laboratory instructors to design a proper learning strategy to boost student ability in achieving basic concepts of biotechnology laboratory work.
