The Impact of Hygiene during COVID-19 Pandemic using Wheat Bread Microparticles: From Chemical Nutrient Content, Hand Hygiene, Multiplied Microorganisms to Education for Students with Special Needs

Abstract

This study aims to demonstrate the importance of hygiene to prevent COVID-19 pandemic towards students with special needs using wheat bread where the chemical nutrient and multiplied microorganisms on bread made from wheat microparticles are analyzed. The experiments were conducted by contaminating the wheat bread using hands cleansed washing soap, hand sanitizer, cajuput oil, and cooking oil. Then, we gave lessons about the scientific concept to students with intellectual disabilities with IQ below 70.  Results of the contaminated wheat bread showed the highest colony-forming units on the given treatment which used water and cooking oil. The second highest was the dirty hands. However, for wheat bread contaminated by handwashing soap, hand sanitizer and stores in the fridge, the colony-forming unit was null.  The teaching and learning process showed that this experiment helped students to maintain personal hygiene during COVID-19. The experiment successfully shifted students’ perspectives because the students directly observed the process of the spoilage bread. Although it is very difficult for the students with intellectual disabilities to learn the concept of fungus, and microbe’s growth on the bread, this study can open students’ perception about handwashing. Therefore, implementing the experimental demonstration through an inquiry-based approach in future studies should be conducted to enable students to understand more about the scientific concept.