Fostering science culture as a social practice of learning: evaluating the 6SI contextual model and hyper-content platform in secondary Science Education

Introduction: The digital transformation of secondary science education demands instructional models that systematically integrate cognitive engagement, procedural inquiry, and self-regulated learning within digital environments. Science culture is conceptualized not merely as an individual cognitive literacy index, but as a social practice constructed through collaborative inquiry, scientific writing, and digital publication in post-digital settings. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of integrating the 6SI contextual instructional model with a digital hyper-content platform in enhancing conceptual knowledge and scientific writing performance as indicators of science culture development. Methodology: A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group design was employed, involving 60 Grade 8 secondary students divided into an experimental group (n=30) utilizing the 6SI-hypercontent model and a matched control group (n=30) receiving conventional direct instruction. The intervention lasted four weeks, focusing on environmental biodiversity. Data were collected via a validated cognitive test (15 items; Cronbach's α=.82) and a rubric-based writing assessment scored by two independent evaluators (Cohen's κ=.85). Results: Groups were equivalent at baseline (p>.05). Post-intervention, the experimental group achieved significantly greater gains in conceptual knowledge (g=0.68, SD=0.17) compared to the control group (g=0.20, SD=0.07; t(58)=13.83, p<.001, Cohen's d=3.57). Similarly, scientific writing skills improved markedly in the experimental group (g=0.65, SD=0.10) versus the control (g=0.23, SD=0.09; t(58)=17.07, p<.001, Cohen's d=4.41). Conclusions: The reconfigured social practices of the 6SI model supported by non-linear hyper-content resources effectively scaffold collaborative meaning-making and reflective evaluation foundational to active science culture formation, contributing evidence-based insights for integrated science education reform.