The Application of Cognitive Ergonomics in Improving Observation Skills and Curiosity in Elementary Schools

Abstrak

Observation skills and curiosity are crucial for elementary students’ learning, but remain underdeveloped in Indonesia, where PISA (2021) reported that 56% of students struggle to identify key information in texts. This quasi-experimental study involved 80 fourth-grade students, divided into two groups: experimental and control. Over four weeks, the experimental group received lessons that integrated Dual Coding (text-image pairing and color-coded diagrams) and Chunking (breaking content into small, thematic units)—a 25-item, validated test measured both skills. Results from independent t-tests showed significant improvements (p < 0.05) across all indicators, with an average score increase of 18% in the experimental group. These findings confirm that structured multimodal strategies enhance visual-verbal processing, analytical thinking, and exploratory motivation. Practically, the study suggests that primary school curricula should incorporate cognitively ergonomic techniques to foster deeper engagement and higher-order thinking, offering a replicable model for inclusive and practical instructional design.

Keywords: cognitive ergonomics, dual coding, chunking, observation skills, curiosity