Abstract
This study was conducted at MIS Al Jihad in Palangka Raya City to examine the effect of the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) model on students' conceptual understanding in the IPAS (Integrated Science and Social Studies) subject. The study employed a pre-experimental method using a one-group pretest-posttest design. The population consisted of all fifth-grade students at MIS Al Jihad, totaling 18 students. The sample included all members of the population and was selected using a saturated sampling technique. Data were analyzed through prerequisite tests and hypothesis testing using a paired-samples t-test. The results showed that the implementation of the PBL model was categorized as very good, with an average score of 91.7. Students' conceptual understanding improved from a mean pretest score of 61.11 to a mean posttest score of 77.78, indicating an increase of 16.67 points. Furthermore, the paired-samples t-test yielded a significance value (Sig. 2-tailed) of 0.000, which was lower than 0.05 (0.000 < 0.05). Therefore, the findings demonstrated that the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) model had a significant effect on students’ conceptual understanding in the IPAS subject at MIS Al Jihad, Palangka Raya.