Promoting inquiry-based learning for science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) to enhance students’ creative thinking skills

Abstract

Creative thinking skills are one aspect of achievement expected in the 2013 curriculum. However, the result of evaluations conducted by PISA that student’s skills are still low. The present study was carried out to determine the application of inquiry-based learning for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) to enhance students’ creative thinking skills under temperature and heat material. To investigate the matter, a quasi experimental with the design of Nonequivalent control group design was employed. The participants were selected based on the purpose of the sample. To collect the data, test instruments were used among students’ creative thinking skills validated with 0.611 of reliability test results classified as high.. The findings in this line of experimental class showed an average score of pretest 38.03 and posttest 83.17 with the acquisition of an N-gain value of 0.72 indicating the average score thus it was included high category.. Besides, the control class disclosed the average score of pretest 37.20 and posttest 79.53 with the acquisition of N-gain value of 0.66 indicating the average score and thus it is included the average category. Based on the acquisition of the N-gain value, the t-test of the two classes was obtained,tcount> ttable (2.118 > 2.045), therefore it can be concluded that there were significant differences between the experimental class and the control class. Based on the results obtained in this line of study, it is therefore concluded that the application of inquiry-based learning for STEM could enhance students’ creative thinking skills under temperature and heat material.