Possibilities and challenges in early science education: Exploring heat and sound

Selected physics contents (heat and sound) were taught through two pilot projects employing Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE) within a STEAM+X educational framework. This research investigated whether, and to what extent, primary school students can effectively interpret natural phenomena through the particulate nature of matter using Inquiry-Based Teaching Models (IBTMs). This quasi-experimental study with parallel groups involved 62 3rd and 4th grade students from two primary schools in Serbia. Students of both groups, experimental (E) and control (C), showed better results on the post-test compared to the pre-test, with the difference in achievement being more pronounced in the E group. The analysis of post-test achievement disparities between students from both groups revealed a statistically significant difference favouring the E group, thereby validating the efficacy of the implemented innovative teaching models on the content related to thermal and sound phenomena.