INTEGRATING PEER SCAFFOLDING INTO GUIDED INQUIRY LEARNING TO ENHANCE SCIENTIFIC LITERACY AND CRITICAL THINKING AMONG PRE-SERVICE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

Kharisma Eka Putri; Punaji Setyosari; Ratna Ekawati

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INTEGRATING PEER SCAFFOLDING INTO GUIDED INQUIRY LEARNING TO ENHANCE SCIENTIFIC LITERACY AND CRITICAL THINKING AMONG PRE-SERVICE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

Title	INTEGRATING PEER SCAFFOLDING INTO GUIDED INQUIRY LEARNING TO ENHANCE SCIENTIFIC LITERACY AND CRITICAL THINKING AMONG PRE-SERVICE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS
Publication Type	Journal Article
Year of Publication	2026
Authors	Putri, KE, Setyosari, P, Ekawati, R
Journal	Journal of Baltic Science Education
Volume	25
Issue	4
Start Page	695-709
Pagination	Continuous
Date Published	August / 2026
Type of Article	Original article
ISSN	1648-3898
Other Numbers	E-ISSN 2538-7138
Keywords	Critical thinking, guided inquiry learning, peer scaffolding, pre-service elementary school teachers, science learning, scientific literacy
Abstract	Developing scientific literacy and critical thinking is fundamental to contemporary science education. This study explored whether integrating guided inquiry learning with peer scaffolding could improve the scientific literacy and critical thinking of pre-service elementary school teachers. A total of 226 pre-service elementary school teachers enrolled in the Basic Concepts of Elementary Science course participated in this quasi-experimental study using a pretest-posttest control group design. Students in the experimental group engaged in guided inquiry integrated with peer scaffolding, whereas the control group received conventional teaching. Peer scaffolding was systematically incorporated throughout all phases of guided inquiry and was preceded by a pre-peer scaffolding phase involving briefing and concept reinforcement. Scientific literacy and critical thinking were assessed using validated instruments developed from the OECD/PISA framework and Ennis' critical thinking indicators (Cronbach's α = .835). Data were examined using the Mann–Whitney U test, N-gain analysis, and effect size. The experimental group demonstrated significantly higher scientific literacy and critical thinking than the control group (p < .001), with N-gain scores of .676 and .773, respectively. The findings indicate that integrating peer scaffolding into guided inquiry is an effective approach for enhancing the scientific literacy and critical thinking of pre-service elementary school teachers.
URL	https://oaji.net/articles/2026/987-1789235491.pdf
DOI	10.33225/jbse/26.25.695
Refereed Designation	Refereed
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