Effectiveness Analysis of Cooking Class Learning on Early Childhood Fine Motor Development Based on N-Gain Scores

Abstract

Fine motor development is an essential aspect of early childhood education because it supports children’s readiness for writing, drawing, and other daily learning activities. However, learning activities in many early childhood education institutions are still dominated by conventional approaches that provide limited opportunities for children to engage in direct and meaningful experiences. This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of cooking class learning on early childhood fine motor development based on N-Gain scores at RA Baitul Ibadah. The study employed a quantitative approach using a quasi-experimental design involving 40 children aged 5–6 years divided into experimental and control classes. Data were collected through observation sheets, pretest-posttest assessments, and documentation, then analyzed using descriptive statistics, N-Gain analysis, normality tests, homogeneity tests, and independent sample t-tests. The results showed that the experimental class achieved a higher posttest mean score (37.55) compared to the control class (26.75). The average N-Gain score in the experimental class reached 66.35%, while the control class obtained 29.16%. Hypothesis testing indicated a significant difference between both classes with a significance value of 0.000 < 0.05. These findings indicate that cooking class learning effectively improves children’s fine motor development through hands-on learning experiences. Therefore, cooking class activities are recommended as innovative and child-centered learning strategies in early childhood education.