Peningkatan Pemahaman Praktikum Identifikasi Karbohidrat, Protein, dan Lemak melalui Pendekatan Hands-on Laboratory Activity pada Siswa SMK Farmasi Babussalam Malang

Abstract

This community engagement activity was motivated by the need to strengthen practical learning experiences among students in the Pharmacy Program, particularly in understanding the identification of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in snack foods. Conceptual learning needs to be complemented by direct practical experience so that students can not only understand macronutrient characteristics but also perform simple identification tests and interpret the results. The activity was conducted on August 3, 2026, using a participatory educational approach based on a hands-on laboratory activity involving 23 Grade 10 and 11 students of the Pharmacy Program at SMK Babussalam Malang. The activities included an introduction to basic concepts, procedure demonstration, macronutrient identification practice, discussion of the results, and an assessment of students’ understanding before and after the activity using a 15-item instrument with a four-point Likert scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 31 through descriptive analysis and a paired-samples t-test. The results showed an improvement in students’ understanding after participating in the practical activity. An improvement was also observed in the distribution of understanding levels, with responses shifting toward the “understood” and “highly understood” categories. Among the assessed domains, the most notable improvement was observed in students’ ability to interpret and analyze practical results. These findings indicate that hands-on practical activities can serve as an applicable learning approach to strengthen understanding and basic analytical experience among vocational pharmacy students.