Discovery Learning Combined with the RQA Strategy to Strengthen Science Literacy and Basic Thinking Skills in Elementary School Students

Abstract

Despite national curriculum reforms emphasizing inquiry-based learning, Indonesian elementary students demonstrate persistently low science literacy and underdeveloped basic scientific thinking skills encompassing observation, classification, prediction, and inference, as evidenced by below-benchmark performance on international assessment results. This quasi-experimental study with a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design investigates whether integrating Discovery Learning with the Reading–Questioning–Answering (RQA) strategy effectively enhances these competencies. Conducted across three elementary schools in Jember, East Java, the study involved 120 fifth-grade students (aged 11–12 years) assigned to experimental (n = 60) and control (n = 60) groups based on intact classrooms. The experimental group received Discovery Learning–RQA instruction, while the control group experienced conventional teacher-centered approaches over six 90-minute sessions. Validated instruments measured science literacy (Cronbach's α = 0.82) and basic scientific thinking skills (α = 0.79), supplemented by systematic classroom observations. Results demonstrated that experimental students achieved significantly higher gains in science literacy (M = 20.25 points, a 34.67% increase) and scientific thinking (M = 19.41 points, a 31.22% increase) compared to controls (M = 7.42 and 7.17 points), with very large effect sizes (Cohen's d = 3.005 and 2.711, p < .001). Observational data confirmed elevated engagement in exploration, questioning, active reading, discussion, and drawing conclusions. The findings indicate that integrating constructivist inquiry with metacognitive reading strategies effectively scaffolds both conceptual understanding and procedural competencies essential for elementary science literacy development.Abstrak: Studi kuasi-eksperimental ini menyelidiki efektivitas Pembelajaran Penemuan yang terintegrasi dengan strategi Membaca-Bertanya-Menjawab (RQA) dalam meningkatkan literasi sains dan keterampilan berpikir ilmiah dasar di kalangan siswa sekolah dasar. Dilakukan di tiga sekolah dasar di Jember, Jawa Timur, Indonesia, studi ini melibatkan 120 siswa kelas lima dan enam yang dibagi menjadi kelompok eksperimen (n=60) dan kelompok kontrol (n=60). Kelompok eksperimen menerima pengajaran melalui Pembelajaran Penemuan yang dikombinasikan dengan strategi RQA, sedangkan kelompok kontrol mengalami pengajaran konvensional yang berpusat pada guru selama enam sesi 90 menit. Data dikumpulkan melalui instrumen yang telah divalidasi untuk mengukur literasi sains (Cronbach's α = 0,82) dan keterampilan berpikir ilmiah dasar (α = 0,79), bersamaan dengan observasi kelas yang sistematis. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kelompok eksperimen mencapai peningkatan yang signifikan dalam literasi sains (M = 20,25 poin, peningkatan 34,67%) dan keterampilan berpikir ilmiah (M = 19,41 poin, peningkatan 31,22%) dibandingkan dengan kelompok kontrol (M = 7,42 dan 7,17 poin masing-masing), dengan ukuran efek yang sangat besar (Cohen's d = 3,005 dan 2,711, p < 0,001). Data observasi mengkonfirmasi peningkatan keterlibatan siswa dalam eksplorasi, bertanya, membaca aktif, diskusi, dan pengambilan kesimpulan. Temuan ini menunjukkan bahwa mengintegrasikan penyelidikan konstruktivis dengan strategi membaca metakognitif secara efektif mendukung pemahaman konseptual dan kompetensi prosedural yang penting untuk literasi sains di pendidikan dasar