IMPACT OF MICROBIAL ART ON ADVANCING STUDENTS' CULTURING PROFICIENCY IN MICROBIOLOGY EDUCATION

Abstract: Microbial art, an emerging trend in microbiology education, integrates artistic activities to enhance critical thinking and deepen comprehension of intricate scientific concepts. This study examines the effect of microbial art activity on students' understanding and competency of microbiological culturing methods. A qualitative content analysis was employed to evaluate the comprehension of 108 students who participated in the microbial activity, which encompassed the assessment of both their visual creations and written reports. The relationship between students' understanding of bacterial culturing techniques and the quality of their artworks was assessed using descriptive statistics and Pearson's correlation coefficient. The quality of the artwork was classified as poor, moderate, and good, reflecting students' cultivation skills, with 53% at a moderate level, 30% good, and only 17% having poor artwork quality. According to the analysis of the students' written reports, it was found that 71% of the students exhibited a strong understanding of the activity, while 29% showed an average level of understanding. However, there was no correlation found between students' understanding and the quality of their artwork. This study demonstrates that incorporating microbial art into science education can improve student cultivation techniques by providing an engaging and creative way to practice microbiology skills. Keywords: Artworks; Culturing technique; Enhance; Microbial art; Microbiology education