Collaborative learning to increase preventive attitude of primary school children towards rabies: Potential mitigation for reducing the economic burden

Abstract

Background: Rabies remains a significant public health issue, causing substantial economic and social losses, with children being the most vulnerable group. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of the Collaborative Learning Method in improving primary school children's preventive attitudes towards rabies risk and management, and to identify its potential impact on mitigating the economic burden. Methods: The design of this research used a quasi-experiment with pre-test and post-test. The intervention group used collaborative learning, while the control group followed the lecture method. The instrument was a structured questionnaire, validated by Pearson correlation and reliability tested with Alpha-Cronbach. Data was collected from interviewed elementary students in the Dompu and Woja sub-districts, Dompu District. The intervention group included 57 students, while the control group had 49. Pre-tests were conducted before the intervention, and post-tests were conducted three times: on the same day, one week, and one month after the intervention. The outcome data were analyzed using a chi-square test, an independent sample t-test, and Hake’s formula. Findings: The collaborative method was found to be effective (n-gain score ≥0,7) in increasing attitudes than the lecture method. This improvement in cautious attitude and proper response capability (like wound washing) driven by collaborative learning is positively linked to reducing bite incidents and the cost of Anti-Rabies Vaccine (ARV), a key burden on regional health budgets. Conclusion: This finding suggests that investing in education focused on attitude modification is an effective and economic strategy under the One Health approach for controlling rabies. Novelty/Originality of this Article: As the first in-depth study, this research applied and evaluated a specific Collaborative Learning method to modify the preventive attitudes of primary students against rabies in Dompu Regency, an endemic area in Indonesia. The findings yield a localized best-practice model for educational intervention.