Abstract

The development of scientific competency and learning achievement is a key objective of chemistry education, particularly in addressing students’ difficulties in conceptual understanding and problem solving. This study aimed to investigate the effects of integrating the 7E Learning Cycle and the KWDL technique on students’ scientific competency and learning achievement in chemistry, as well as their satisfaction with the instructional approach. The research employed a one-group pretest–posttest experimental design. The participants were 38 Grade 10 students from a public secondary school in Thailand, selected using cluster random sampling. The research instruments included an integrated 7E–KWDL learning management plan, a scientific competency test, a learning achievement test on the topic of solutions, and a student satisfaction questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test, and paired-samples t-tests. The results showed that students’ scientific competency significantly increased from pretest (M = 16.04) to posttest (M = 23.82), Z = 5.39, p < .001. Learning achievement also improved significantly from pretest (M = 14.97) to posttest (M = 25.08), t(37) = 49.09, p < .001, and posttest scores exceeded the 70% achievement criterion. In addition, students reported a high level of satisfaction with the integrated instructional approach (M = 4.62). This study contributes empirical evidence that integrating inquiry-based learning with metacognitive problem-solving strategies can effectively enhance competency-based learning in secondary chemistry education.

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