doi: 10.18178/ijiet.2026.16.5.2590
Promoting AR-Scaffolded Inquiry Model in Science Learning to Improve Students’ Critical Thinking and Communication Skills
Muhammad Syaipul Hayat1,*
,
Sumarno Sumarno2 ,
Noora Qotrun Nada3 ,
Ali Ismail4 ,
Surya Gumilar5 ,
Saprudin Saprudin6 ,
Ade Ihtiar7 ,
Ghurrotul Bariroh7 ,
Safa Amal Hayati8
- 1Master’s Program in Science Education, Universitas Persatuan Guru Republik Indonesia Semarang, Kota Semarang, Indonesia
- 2Master’s Program in Primary Education, Universitas Persatuan Guru Republik Indonesia Semarang, Kota Semarang, Indonesia
- 3Informatics Program, Universitas Persatuan Guru Republik Indonesia Semarang, Kota Semarang, Indonesia
- 4Primary Teacher Education Program, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Sumedang, Indonesia
- 5Physics Education Program, Institut Pendidikan Indonesia, Garut, Indonesia
- 6Science Education Program, Universitas Khairun, Ternate, Indonesia
- 7Biology Education Program, Universitas Persatuan Guru Republik Indonesia Semarang, Kota Semarang, Indonesia
- 8SMP Negeri 15 Semarang, Kota Semarang, Indonesia
- Manuscript receivedSeptember 14, 2025
- revisedOctober 21, 2025
- acceptedNovember 24, 2025
- publishedMay 13, 2026
Abstract
Junior high school students in Indonesia often face difficulties in analyzing and communicating scientific issues related to daily life due to limited scaffolding for exploring abstract concepts and insufficient guidance for scientific communication. Inquiry-based learning fosters students’ critical thinking and communication skills, while Augmented Reality (AR) strengthens these processes by enhancing visualization and engagement in science learning. However, no study has yet integrated inquiry and AR to improve critical thinking and communication skills in science learning. Therefore, to address this gap, this study analyzes the effect of the Augmented Reality–Scaffolded Inquiry (AR-SI) model, which combines interactive AR visualization of scientific phenomena with structured scaffolding stages to guide students’ inquiry processes, on students’ critical thinking and communication skills. A quasi-experimental study with a non-equivalent control group design was employed to evaluate the model’s effectiveness. The sample consisted of 60 ninth-grade students from one of the public junior high schools in Semarang City, Indonesia, selected through convenience sampling. The experimental class (30 students) received the AR-Scaffolded Inquiry treatment, while the control class (30 students) engaged in the conventional inquiry method routinely used in the school’s science classes. Data were collected through pre-test, intervention, and post-test procedures. Results show that students in the experimental group demonstrated greater improvement in both critical thinking and communication skills, with N-gain scores of 0.56 and 0.89, respectively, compared to 0.35 and 0.65 in the control group. These findings indicate that integrating AR-SI can effectively enhance students’ higher-order thinking and communicative competence. The AR-SI model thus presents a promising technology-integrated pedagogical framework for fostering essential 21st-century scientific competencies.
Keywords
- augmented reality
- communication skills
- critical thinking skills
- scaffolded inquiry learning
- science learning
How to Cite
Muhammad Syaipul Hayat, Sumarno Sumarno, Noora Qotrun Nada, Ali Ismail, Surya Gumilar, Saprudin Saprudin, Ade Ihtiar, Ghurrotul Bariroh, and Safa Amal Hayati, "Promoting AR-Scaffolded Inquiry Model in Science Learning to Improve Students’ Critical Thinking and Communication Skills," International Journal of Information and Education Technology, vol. 16, no. 5, pp. 1219-1228, 2026. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2026.16.5.2590
Copyright & License
Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).