Darius Ladbam Lihu

Students' conceptual understanding of force is challenged by persistent difficulties in interpreting interactions, resultant forces, and changes in motion. This study examined the classroom implementation of a five-phase Experiential-Based Deep Learning (EBDL) instructional model designed to connect firsthand observation with reflection, evidence-based explanation, and transfer. A quasi-experimental nonequivalent pretest–posttest design involved 40 eighth-grade students at one Indonesian junior secondary school, with 20 students receiving EBDL and 20 receiving Direct Instruction. Conceptual understanding was assessed using five essay items on force; expert content ratings yielded an overall Aiken's V of 0.870 after recalculation. Available group-level posttest results favored the EBDL group (M = 85.85, SD = 5.51) over the control group (M = 81.30, SD = 7.00). The reported Mann–Whitney test indicated a between-group difference (U = 124.00, Z = −2.06, p = 0.039, r = 0.326). The model's distinctive instructional contribution is its explicit progression from discrepant experiences through reflective meaning-making and force-based reasoning to contextual application and transfer. However, aggregate posttest results do not establish which cognitive process benefited most, whether individual misconceptions were corrected, or the magnitude of pretest-to-posttest change. These findings support further testing of EBDL as a structured, context-sensitive alternative for junior secondary force instruction, with stronger item-level and implementation evidence required before wider causal or generalizable claims are made.