MEANINGFUL LEARNING THROUGH SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS: ITS IMPACT ON LEARNING SKILLS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING AMONG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN SCIENCE EDUCATION

This study investigated the impact of meaningful learning through inquiry-based scientific experiments on the development of learning skills and information-processing abilities among elementary school students in science education. The study was motivated by contemporary educational trends emphasizing active learning, critical thinking, and meaningful engagement with scientific concepts rather than traditional memorization-based instruction. A quasi-experimental design was employed involving 61 fifth-grade students from an elementary school in Nazareth. Participants were divided into an experimental group (n = 30), which received instruction through inquiry-based learning and scientific experiments, and a control group (n = 31), which received traditional instruction. Data were collected using pre- and post -achievement tests designed according to Blooms Taxonomy and measuring multiple cognitive levels, including remembering, understanding, application, analysis, and inference. The findings indicated significant improvements in the performance of students exposed to inquiry-based scientific experimentation compared with those taught through traditional methods.