SCIENCE IN PATTANI SWEET SALT: A 5E INQUIRY-BASED ACTIVE LEARNING APPROACH INTEGRATING LOCAL CONTEXT TO ENHANCE CREATIVE THINKING SKILLS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT STUDENTS

Abstract

This pre-experimental research aimed to 1) study the creative thinking skills before and after the intervention, and 2) investigate the satisfaction of students participating in a locally integrated 5E inquiry-based active learning on the topic “Science in Pattani Sweet Salt”. The sample consisted of 39 early childhood development students, selected through cluster random sampling. A one-group pretest-posttest design was employed. The research instruments included a lesson plan, a creative thinking test, and a satisfaction questionnaire. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and paired-samples t-test. The findings revealed that 1) students' post-test scores on creative thinking (M = 27.00, S.D. = 1.96) were significantly higher than their pre-test scores (M = 13.13, S.D. = 1.75) at the .05 level of significance. All components of creativity; fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration showed significant improvement. 2) Students' overall satisfaction with the learning management was at the highest level (M = 4.70, S.D. = 0.45), with the highest satisfaction reported for understanding science in local wisdom and hands-on exploration. These results indicate that integrating local wisdom into the 5E inquiry-based process is an effective approach for fostering creative thinking and promoting meaningful learning for pre-service teachers.