Guided Inquiry Assisted by PhET for Elementary Students' Critical Thinking on Force: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Amelia Nabilla Zahra (Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. Hamka)
Zulherman (Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. Hamka)

Al Qodiri: Jurnal Pendidikan, Sosial dan Keagamaan
Vol. 24 No. 3 (2026): Al Qodiri: Jurnal Pendidikan, Sosial dan Keagamaan

Purpose: This study investigates the contribution of memory skill and memory effort to university students’ arithmetical literacy and examines whether their predictive patterns differ between students at different stages of study. Understanding these relationships is relevant because arithmetical literacy requires not only procedural competence but also the ability to retain, retrieve, and effectively use mathematical information when solving quantitative problems. Method: The study employed a quantitative approach involving 300 university students, consisting of 150 third-semester students and 150 fifth-semester students from five higher education institutions. Data were collected using instruments measuring memory skill, memory effort, and arithmetical literacy. Multiple regression analysis was conducted separately for the two semester groups to determine the simultaneous and individual contributions of memory skill and memory effort to arithmetical literacy. Findings: The results showed that the combined regression models were statistically significant for both groups. Memory skill and memory effort jointly explained 10.9% of the variance in arithmetical literacy among third-semester students and 20.2% among fifth-semester students. At the individual predictor level, memory skill significantly contributed to arithmetical literacy among third-semester students but did not show a significant contribution among fifth-semester students. In contrast, memory effort significantly contributed to arithmetical literacy in both groups. These findings indicate that the role of memory-related factors in arithmetical literacy varies according to students’ stage of study. Significance: The study extends understanding of the cognitive factors associated with arithmetical literacy by distinguishing between memory capacity-related skill and the effort students invest in remembering and retrieving mathematical information. The findings suggest that strengthening students’ strategic memory effort may provide a more consistently relevant support for arithmetical literacy across different stages of university study.