Polya’s Framework in Physics: Elevating Analytical Thinking and Academic Achievement Among Students

This quasi-experimental study investigates the pedagogical effectiveness of Polya’s structured problem-solving framework in enhancing analytical thinking and academic achievement in high school physics. The research focused on tenth-grade students studying linear motion and free fall and used a one-group pretest-posttest design to evaluate cognitive and affective outcomes. The empirical results reveal a highly significant improvement in post-instruction physics learning achievement (p < .001) with a substantial effect size (Cohen's d = 1.59), successfully exceeding the rigorous 60% curriculum mastery criterion (p < .05). Concurrently, the students' analytical thinking abilities demonstrated marked, statistically significant growth (p < .001). Beyond cognitive gains, the structured intervention fostered highly positive attitudes toward the physics curriculum, with students reporting increased interest, determination, and academic responsibility. These findings strongly affirm that systematically integrating Polya’s four-step heuristic effectively supports metacognitive regulation, mitigates traditional problem-solving deficits, and consistently drives superior academic performance in complex scientific disciplines, providing a robust pedagogical model for contemporary physics education.