<![CDATA[This study examined the effect of practicum-based learning on scientific attitudes and cognitive learning outcomes among 60 eighth-grade students in Jayapura, focusing on the human respiratory system, using a quantitative quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design with experimental and control groups. Data were collected through a validated scientific attitude questionnaire and a cognitive learning outcomes test, analyzed using an Independent Samples t-test and a Mann-Whitney U test, respectively. Results showed that practicum-based learning significantly improved students' scientific attitudes (p < 0.001), with the experimental group achieving a 30.7% increase and a "high" N-Gain category, compared with a 20.7% increase in the control group. Cognitive learning outcomes also improved significantly (p < 0.001), rising by 18.2% with a "medium" N-Gain category, against a 7.1% increase in the control group. These findings confirm that practicum-based learning is significantly more effective than conventional teaching in fostering both scientific attitudes and cognitive achievement in science education. The study further underscores the strategic value of practicum-based learning as a scalable, evidence-based approach for bridging persistent educational gaps in under-resourced and geographically isolated regions such as Papua, with implications for science curriculum design, teacher practice, and educational policy aimed at improving the quality and equity of science learning.]]>
