Elemental and Procedural Dimensions as Constitutive Factors of Scientific Inquiry Competence

This study developed and proposed an expert-supported STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) learning model intended to strengthen scientific inquiry competence among elementary school students, employing a second-order partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. A quantitative, nonexperimental, correlational, cross-sectional design was adopted, and eighty-two third-grade students were evaluated via a validated 20-item questionnaire measuring three first-order dimensions of scientific inquiry: elemental, procedural, and attitudinal. Using SmartPLS-4 and the repeated indicators approach, scientific inquiry was modeled as a reflective-reflective second-order construct formed by its three dimensions. The reflective measurement model demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties: all the outer loadings exceeded 0.70, the composite reliability values ranged from 0.874 to 0.953, and the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) values surpassed 0.50. Discriminant validity was confirmed through Heterotrait-Monotrait Ratio of Correlation (HTMT) values below 0.85. Second-order analysis revealed that the procedural (β = 0.487, t = 4.151, p < 0.001) and elemental (β = 0.421, t = 3.034, p = 0.002) dimensions constitute the strongest formative pathways to scientific inquiry competence, with large effect sizes (f² = 0.645 and 0.533, respectively). The attitudinal dimension did not contribute significantly (β = −0.156, p = 0.155). The model demonstrated substantial explanatory power (R² = 0.742) and predictive relevance (Q² = 0.634). Expert validation of the six-phase STEAM pedagogical model yielded Aiken’s V = 0.96. These findings establish that scientific inquiry competence in primary education is predominantly constituted by conceptual knowledge and procedural skills, providing an empirically grounded framework for prioritizing these components in STEAM implementation.