Discovery Learning and Direct Instruction: A Comparison of Vocational High School Students’ Cognitive Learning Outcomes in Welding
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52060/jpvs.v5i1.4861Abstract
Instruction in Basic Welding and Metal Fabrication at Indonesian vocational high schools still relies heavily on teacher explanation, and the mean daily test scores of grade X students (63.49 and 64.51) fell below the school mastery criterion of 78. This study compared the cognitive learning outcomes of students taught with Discovery Learning and with Direct Instruction. We used a quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group design involving 74 grade X welding students at a public vocational high school in West Java in the 2025/2026 academic year, divided into two intact classes of 37 students. A 20-item multiple-choice test covering the levels of remembering to analyzing (Cronbach's alpha = 0.908) served as the pretest and posttest. We analyzed the data with an independent samples t-test and normalized gain (N-Gain). The Discovery Learning class reached a mean posttest score of 87.57, compared with 64.86 in the Direct Instruction class (t(72) = 13.995, p < .001). Mean N-Gain was 0.734 (high) for Discovery Learning and 0.297 (low) for Direct Instruction. Only the Discovery Learning class mean exceeded the mastery criterion. Teachers can use Discovery Learning for conceptual welding content while keeping Direct Instruction for procedural steps and workshop safety.
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Keywords:
discovery learning, direct instruction, cognitive learning outcomes, welding, vocational high school
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2026-09-29
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