The Effect of Inquiry Learning Methods on The Learning Outcomes of Grade IV Students in The Subject of Civil Society in Perwira IV Elementary School

Abstract

This study is motivated by the lack of variation in teaching methods in Civic Education (Civic education) learning for fourth-grade elementary students at Elementary School Perwira IV, resulting in passive student involvement and suboptimal learning outcomes, particularly in higher-order cognitive domains. This study aims to determine the influence of the Inquiry Learning method on the Civic education learning outcomes of fourth-grade students. A quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group model was employed. The experimental group (n=33) used the Inquiry method, while the control group (n=33) used the Socratic method. Learning outcomes were measured through achievement tests and analyzed using normality tests (Shapiro-Wilk), homogeneity tests (Levene), and independent samples t-test using SPSS v25. Results showed a significant difference between groups (t-count = 3.27 > t-table = 2.00, Sig. < 0.05). The experimental group obtained a higher posttest mean (85.60) compared to the control group (72.33). These findings confirm that the Inquiry method is more effective than the Socratic method in improving Civic education learning outcomes and is recommended as an appropriate teaching strategy for elementary school students.