Pendekatan Saintifik sebagai Fondasi Pengembangan HOTS Anak Usia Dini melalui Sikap Ilmiah: Studi Naratif di RA Nurul Falah

Abstract

The gap between curriculum mandates requiring a scientific approach to learning and the realities on the ground—particularly in rural early childhood education settings—remains an issue that has not been deeply explored. This study aims to describe how the implementation of the scientific approach at RA Nurul Falah shapes the scientific attitudes of children in "Group B" and to examine its contribution as a foundation for developing Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in early childhood. Employing a qualitative method with a narrative approach, the study involved Group B teachers, the school principal, and the children as subjects; data collection techniques included participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and scientific attitude indicator checklists. The findings indicate that, of the five scientific stages, the "observing" and "questioning" phases are implemented quite routinely. However, the stages of "gathering information," "reasoning," and "communicating"—which serve as bridges to higher-order thinking—have not received adequate reinforcement. Consequently, while the development of scientific attitudes is underway, it is not yet optimal, and the children's HOTS achievement remains limited to the level of simple analysis. This research contributes by mapping the step-by-step mechanisms linking the scientific approach, scientific attitude formation, and the foundation of HOTS within the context of a rural RA setting, while also offering practical intervention points for teachers to strengthen the "reasoning" and "communicating" stages in daily science learning.