Enhancing elementary students' science learning outcomes through audiovisual instructional media: A pre-experimental investigation

Abstract

The integration of instructional media has become increasingly important in promoting meaningful learning experiences and improving students' academic achievement, particularly in elementary science education. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of audiovisual instructional media in enhancing fifth-grade students' science learning outcomes. A quantitative approach employing a pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design was adopted. The participants consisted of 26 fifth-grade students from SD Negeri 122381 Bane Pematangsiantar, Indonesia. Prior to the main study, the research instrument underwent validity, reliability, item difficulty, and discrimination analyses to ensure its quality. The findings indicated that 20 of the 25 multiple-choice items met the validity criteria, while the reliability coefficient (Cronbach's Alpha = 0.978) demonstrated excellent internal consistency. Students' learning achievement was measured through pretest and posttest assessments administered before and after the implementation of audiovisual instructional media. The descriptive analysis revealed that the mean pretest score increased from 53.8 to 85.2 in the posttest. Furthermore, inferential statistical analysis using SPSS showed a statistically significant difference between students' pretest and posttest scores (Sig. (2-tailed) = 0.000 < 0.05), indicating that the instructional intervention significantly improved students' science learning outcomes. These findings suggest that audiovisual instructional media provide meaningful visual and auditory learning experiences that enhance students' engagement, conceptual understanding, and overall academic achievement in elementary science classrooms. Therefore, integrating audiovisual media into science instruction is recommended as an effective pedagogical strategy for improving learning quality and promoting active classroom participation.