Optimizing Critical Thinking Skills of Fourth Grade Students Through Inquiry-Based Learning: Elementary School Mathematics

In 21st-century learning, students are required to develop critical thinking and collaboration skills. Project-Based Learning (PjBL) integrated with gamification is considered a potential approach to support these competencies. This study aimed to examine the effect of gamification-assisted PjBL on Grade X students’ critical thinking and collaboration skills in the biodiversity topic at SMAN 21 Medan. The study employed a quasi-experimental method using a Non-Equivalent Control Group design, involving class X5 as the experimental group and class X7 as the control group selected through random sampling. Critical thinking skills were measured using ten essay questions representing five indicators, while collaboration skills were assessed through an observation sheet based on four indicators. The results showed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups. The t-test analysis of critical thinking skills yielded a significance value of 0.016 (< 0.05), with the experimental group achieving a higher posttest mean score (75.25) than the control group (61.60). Similarly, collaboration skills showed a significant difference with a significance value of < 0.001. These findings indicate that gamification-assisted PjBL has a positive effect on improving students’ critical thinking and collaboration skills compared to PjBL without gamification. Therefore, it is recommended that biology teachers integrate gamification elements such as points, badges, and challenges into project-based learning to enhance students’ critical thinking and collaboration skills.

This study is aimed at determining the effectiveness of the use of a science textbook integrated with the local potentials of bakpia in improving the critical thinking and communication skills of the junior high school students. The study was a quasi-experiment with a pretest-posttest control group research design. The experiment and control groups were taken by cluster random sampling by considering the location of the school, which is within proximity of the local potentials in question. The study was conducted in the 7 th grade, at one of the junior high schools in Yogyakarta, both for the experiment and control classes. The research instruments were an open-reasoned multiple-choice test and observation sheets to obtain data on students’ critical thinking skills and communication skills. Data analysis was done by the Manova difference test assisted by the SPSS 2.0 computer program with a significance value lower than 0.05. Results showed that the value of the partial Eta squared from the Manova test was 0.981, indicating that the effectiveness of the science textbook integrated with the bakpia local potentials to improve students’ critical thinking and communication skills was in the “high” category. The test of between subject effects of the Manova test showed a significant value of students’ critical thinking and communication skills of less than 0.05. Therefore, it can be said that the science textbook was effective in increasing students’ critical thinking and communication skills, simultaneously. A limitation to the study can be in the fact that the study is not conducted directly in the bakpia factory and that it involves only 60 subjects for both the experiment and control groups. The integrated textbook of bakpia local potentials can be used as a reference for future researchers with other local potentials. The local potential integrated book can also become an alternative-learning mode, e.g.: based on STEM, with materials suitable for local potentials in other regions.

Background: The low levels of students' critical thinking skills and science process skills in diffusion and osmosis material remain a problem in biology learning. This study aims to develop a student worksheet based on the vee diagram to improve students’ critical thinking and science process skills. Methods: The research employed a Research and Development (R&D) approach using the ADDIE model. The subjects were 11th-grade science students at MA Nurul Huda Munjul, consisting of 25 students in the experimental class and 25 in the control class. Instruments included multiple-choice tests, observation sheets, and questionnaires. Data were analyzed using N-gain and t-tests. Results: The developed student worksheet was valid (97.02%) and effectively implemented (90%). Students' critical thinking skills increased with an N-Gain of 0.41 (moderate), compared to 0.05 (low) in the control class. Science process skills also improved to 81.75% (high), outperforming the control class (53.63%). The correlation between critical thinking and science process skills was not significant (r = 0.298 < r table = 0.396; sig. = 0.149). Students’ responses to the student worksheet were in the very good category (85.33%). Conclusion: Thus, the development of vee diagram-based student worksheets on diffusion and osmosis material can enchance student’s critical thinking and science process skills.

The ability to think critically is one of the highest levels of ability. Developing critical thinking skills in students is still considered important to be improved in schools so that students are able and accustomed to facing various problems around it. This study aims to analyze the critical thinking skills of junior high school students who are in excellent classes and regular classes. This research was conducted in Bandung Barat. In this study students are given a test in the form of questions with critical thinking skills, the problem is used to compare between the superior class and ordinary class. Assessment of the problem using several factors of critical ability include 1) students can not understand the problem correctly, 2) students rush in doing the problem, 3) the students cannot choose the problem-solving strategy correctly and 4) the students work on the problem systematically. Then the matter of critical thinking skills of mathematics is analyzed using quasi-experimental research method to analyze students' critical thinking ability that influence learning result. This study shows the differences in critical thinking ability of junior high school students who are in excellent class and ordinary class. This study shows that superior classes are better in mathematical critical thinking ability than a regular class. The results of this study can add knowledge about critical thinking mathematics junior high school students who are in the class and ordinary class and used to facilitate for educational practitioners in the development of critical mathematical thinking skills.

Critical thinking and creative thinking skills are needed to improve the quality and competitive human resources. Therefore, the application of appropriate learning models is expected to stimulate students' critical thinking and creative thinking skills. This research aims to improve critical thinking and creative thinking skill scores using the ASICC learning model. This type of research is classroom action research which is carried out in 2 cycles, with 3 meetings in each cycle. Data on students' critical thinking and creative thinking skills were collected using essay tests on science learning materials. Data analysis was carried out by comparing the N-gain scores in cycle 1 and cycle 2 for students' critical thinking and creative thinking skills. The results of the research revealed that there was an increase that occurred in cycle 2, namely 5.6% in the aspects of moderate critical thinking skills and high creative thinking, as well as in the aspects of critical thinking skills and high creative thinking by 5.6%. Meanwhile, in the previous cycle, these two aspects did not have a high category. Another result found from this research is that students who have low critical thinking skills do not necessarily have low creative thinking skills. This is because students who have low critical thinking skills may have moderate creative thinking skills or vice versa. Thus, the application of the ASICC learning model is effective in improving the scores of critical thinking skills and creative thinking skills of students at Junior High School 5 Kertosono.

Student cognitive diversity can be a barrier to enhancing critical thinking and science process skills. The TaRL-based DSI model addresses this by facilitating learning for students at different cognitive levels. This research aims to determine the effect of the Differentiated Science Inquiry (DSI) model based on the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach, on eighth-grade junior high school students' critical thinking and science process skills in the context of vibration and wave concepts. A non-equivalent control group design was used to address varied learning needs, with 55 students purposively selected for experimental and control groups. Data were collected using essay-based critical thinking tests and multiple-choice science process skills assessments. The DSI model applied four inquiry levels: Demonstrated Inquiry, Structured Inquiry, Guided Inquiry, and Self-Directed Inquiry based on students' initial abilities. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential methods. The average critical thinking skills in the experimental group after treatment were 13.04, and in the control group were 10.1. The average science process skills in the experimental group were 19.77, and in the control group were 18. The research results confirm that the TaRL-based DSI model significantly enhances students' critical thinking and science process skills at a significance level of α = 0.05. This research is expected to help educators implement the DSI model to accommodate diverse learning needs and enhance crucial skills in science education.

Students' low critical thinking skills and creativity are often caused by conventional learning that does not involve in-depth exploration of concepts. This study aims to analyze and test the influence of the Metaphorical Thinking approach based on Tri Kaya Parisudha on the critical thinking skills and creativity of elementary school students. This study uses a quasi-experimental design with a nonequivalent pre-test post-test control group design pattern. The subjects of the study were grade IV students who were selected through cluster random sampling techniques. Data collection was carried out using validated critical thinking and creativity skills test instruments, while data analysis was carried out using the Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) technique which was processed with the help of IBM SPSS 30.0 for Windows software. The results of the analysis showed a significant difference between the experimental group and the control group. Students in the experimental class showed a higher average increase in critical thinking and creativity scores than students in the control class. The significance value of the MANOVA results of 0.000 (p < 0.05) indicates that the Metaphorical Thinking approach based on Tri Kaya Parisudha has a significant effect on improving students' critical thinking skills and creativity. These findings suggest that the integration of local values in innovative learning approaches can be an effective strategy in improving the quality of 21st century learning.

Critical thinking skills (CTS) and communication skills (CS) in students still need to be improved. This study aims to analyze CTS and CS through the experimental implementation of blended discovery learning (BDL). The research method used is a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group design. The study subjects consisted of high school students (SMA) who were divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received learning with the BDL model, while the control group used conventional methods. The research instruments were observation sheets for critical thinking and communication skills, as well as CTS tests. The data analysis results showed a significant increase in CTS and communication skills after the implementation of BDL compared to the control group. This increase can be seen from the results of statistical tests that showed a significant difference in pretest and posttest scores in the experimental group. Thus, the implementation of BDL has proven effective in improving CTS and CS, so that it can be an alternative for innovative and interactive learning

This study aims to determine the distribution of higher-order mathematical thinking skills of students of state senior high schools in Tasikmalaya City in the academic year 2018/2019, to find out whether there is a relationship between mathematical critical thinking abilities with students' mathematical creative thinking skills High School in Tasikmalaya City 2018/2019 academic year. This research is a type of descriptive research using quantitative descriptive methods. The population in this study were all students of Tasikmalaya City Senior High School in class X, class XI, and class XII, ranging in age from 16-18 years. The sampling technique in this study uses a probability sampling technique that is Proportionate Stratified Random Sampling, by taking 2 classes each school. The research instrument used in this study was a matter of high-level mathematical thinking ability tests which are slices of the cognitive dimension of Bloom's Taxonomy with the 2013 Curriculum Dimension dimension consisting of questions of critical and creative thinking skills. The results showed that the distribution of mathematical thinking ability levels in high school students in the City of Tasikmalaya academic year 2018/2019 as follows: a) mathematical HOTS ability with a very good category was obtained by 2 Schools or 20% of all High School Schools in Tasikmalaya City, the ability Mathematical HOTS with the good category is obtained by 7 Schools or 70% of all High Schools in Tasikmalaya City, Mathematical HOTS ability with a pretty good category is obtained by 1 School, namely SMAN J or 10% of all Public High Schools in Tasikmalaya City. There is a significant relationship between students' mathematical critical thinking skills with the mathematical creative thinking abilities of high school students in the City of Tasikmalaya 2018/2019 academic year. with the degree of correlation obtained a correlation coefficient of 0.283 or are in a low category. Keywords: Higher Order Mathematical Thinking Skills, mathematical critical thinking skills, mathematical creative thinking skills.

Comparison of the Effects of Concept Mapping and Conventional Teaching Methods on Critical Thinking of Nursing Students

هدف البحث الحالي إلى دراسة أثر مدخل التطبيقات العملية على تنمية التحصيل الدراسي، ومهارات التفکير الناقد لدى تلاميذ المرحلة الإعدادية، وتکونت عينة البحث من (80) تلميذ من تلاميذ الصف الأول الإعدادي بمدرستين من مدارس إدارة طلخا التعليمية، موزعين على مجموعتين إحداهما تجريبية، وعدد تلاميذ کلا منهما (40) تلميذ، ولتحقيق هدف البحث أعد الباحث ثلاثة اختبارات أحدهم لقياس التحصيل في وحدتي (الحدود والمقادير الجبرية، والهندسة والقياس)، وآخر لقياس مهارات التفکير الناقد العام، وثالث لقياس مهارات التفکير الناقد في الرياضيات، وتم تطبيق اختباري مهارات التفکير الناقد على مجموعتي البحث قبليا للتأکد من تکافؤ المجموعتين في إجراء عمليات التفکير الناقد، واستخدام مهاراته، کما تم التأکد من تکافؤ المجموعتين قبليا في الجانب التحصيلي من خلال حساب متوسط الدرجات التي حصل عليها التلاميذ في اختبار مادة الرياضيات للعام السابق، وتم تطبيق أدوات البحث الثلاث بعديا على تلاميذ المجموعتين للتأکد من أثر المدخل المقترح، وأسفرت النتائج التي تم الحصول عليها إلى الآتي: وجود أثر لمدخل التطبيقات العملية لمادة الرياضيات في تنمية التحصيل لدى تلاميذ الصف الأول الإعدادي. عدم وجود أثر لمدخل التطبيقات العملية التدريسي لمادة الرياضيات في تنمية مهارات التفکير الناقد العام – التي تم تحديدها - لدى تلاميذ الصف الأول الإعدادي، ووجود أثر في تنمية مهارة واحدة فقط هي: مهارة معرفة الافتراضات. وجود أثر لمدخل التطبيقات العملية التدريسي لمادة الرياضيات في تنمية مهارات التفکير الناقد في الرياضيات – التي تم تحديدها - لدى تلاميذ الصف الأول الإعدادي. وجود علاقة ارتباطية طردية (أو موجبة) دالة عند مستوى (05,0 αM)بين درجات تلاميذ المجموعة التجريبية في التطبيق البعدي لکل من اختباري مهارات التفکير الناقد العام، والخاص بالرياضيات. وفي ضوء تلک النتائج أوصى الباحث بضرورة استخدام مدخل التطبيقات العملية التدريسي کأحد المداخل الحيوية لتدريس مادة الرياضيات لما له من أثر إيجابي يدفع إلى إکساب التلاميذ مجموعة متنوعة من المعارف التي يمکنهم استخدامها في تنمية العديد من المهارات الحياتية، والمعاملات الرياضياتية. الکلمات المفتاحية: التطبيقات العملية، التحصيل، التفکير الناقد، التفکير الناقد العام، التفکير الناقد في الرياضيات. Abstract The objective of the current research aimed to investigate the practical applications’ impact of mathematics for the preparatory school’s pupils in developing the academic achievement level, and the critical thinking skills in the subject. The sample consisted of (80) male pupils in the first preparatory grade in two schools in Talkha Educational Administration. They were divided into two groups; the first is an experimental one includes (40) male pupils, and the control group includes (40) male pupils. The researcher prepared three tests to portray his view by convincing. One of them is to measure the degree of achievement in the units of (algebraic terms and expressions, geometry and measurement), the second is to measure the public critical thinking skills, and the final is to measure the critical thinking skills in mathematics. The critical thinking tests were applied upon the pupils of the two research groups, in advance to ascertain the equivalence of the two groups in the procedure of the processes of the critical thinking, and the use of its՚ skills and the ascertainment of the two research groups’ equivalence in the pre-post achievement of mathematics subject was obtained by calculating the average grades of the pupils in the achievement of mathematics subject in the previous year. The three research tools were applied upon the pupils of the two research groups post-test to verify the impact of the proposed teaching approach. The research’s results revealed the following: 1- The impact of the approach of practical applications of mathematics in developing the degree of achievement in mathematics subject in the first-grade preparatory school pupils. 2- There is no impact of the approach of practical applications of mathematics in the development of the specified public critical thinking skills for the first-grade preparatory school pupils, but this impact exists in one of these specified skills; which is the assumes recognizing. 3- The impact of the approach of practical applications of mathematics in the development of the specified critical thinking skills in mathematics for the first-grade preparatory school pupils. 4- There is a significant correlation (positive or direct) between the scores of the experimental group pupils in the post-application of both the public critical thinking skills test and the mathematical critical thinking skills test at the level of (α M 0.05). In light of these results, the researcher recommended the use of the practical application approach of teaching mathematics as one of the vital approaches of teaching mathematics because of its positive impact in providing pupils with different knowledge and in improving their use of many different skills. Keywords: practical applications, achievement, critical thinking, public critical thinking, critical thinking in mathematics.

The use of problem based learning (PBL) to improve critical thinking skills and Indonesian language skills, to improve students' critical thinking skills, problem based learning (PBL) is the right learning model to use. The purpose of problem-based learning is to find out how problem-based learning can help students in improving their critical thinking and language skills. The subject in this study focuses on how students' Indonesian language skills. Data collection techniques are done by observation and finding references from various research journals. The research method used in this study is quantitative method, quantitative research to try to find out how effective PBL is in improving certain skills, such as critical thinking and Indonesian language skills. PBL model can serve as a useful tool to improve students' critical thinking and Indonesian language skills.

The purpose of this research was analyze students’ mathematical critical thinking skills using ECIRR strategy. The Reseacrh was conducted at one of Islamic schools in the city of Tangerang Selatan.. Method of the research used quasi experiment method with posttest-only control group design. The samples are 53 students, they are 26 students in experimental group and 27 student in control group that chosen by cluster sampling technique. The collecting data of students’ mathematical critical thinking skills used by test instrument. The result of this research shown that students’ mathematical critical thinking skills who are taught by ECIRR strategy is higher than students who are taught by conventional strategy. Means of mathematical critical thinking skills of students’ who are taught by ECIRR strategy had skill of analyze the argument amounting to 84.62, draw a conclusion amounting to 68.27, identify assumptions amounting to 73.08, and decide an action amounting to 40,38. As for students’ who are taught by conventional strategy had skill of analyze the argument amounting to 85.19, draw a conclusion amounting to 44.91, identify assumptions amounting to 24.07, and decide an action amounting to 23.15. The conclusion of this research that ECIRR strategy have a significant effect on students’ mathematical critical thinking skills.

This article explores the use of media resources in education to develop critical thinking (CT) skills. In the modern job market, being competitive requires a range of competencies, including “soft skills,” one of which is critical thinking. We discuss the connection between media education and critical thinking, identifying effective strategies for developing students' CT skills by incorporating media resources into university education. While numerous studies have focused on methods for fostering critical thinking, the development of structured, individualized tasks – such as task cards with varying levels of complexity for working with media resources – has been insufficiently explored. Therefore, we propose a series of strategies for critically analyzing scientific articles, digital materials, and media content (video and audio materials), which includes structured, multi-level tasks aimed at developing critical thinking skills among university students. Through these strategies, students learn to analyze and evaluate information, including data from media sources. In our study, we identified critical thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, causal reasoning, argumentation, and evaluation. We applied L. Starkey’s Critical Thinking Test, adapted for a Russian-speaking audience, to assess the level of CT development among students. The study involved n=218 students from psychology and pedagogy-related courses. For statistical analysis of the data, we used the Cramér-Welch criterion, which revealed statistically significant differences between the control and experimental groups. Thus, the use of the proposed media resource strategies not only promotes the development of critical thinking skills but also enhances media literacy among university students.

This study investigates the effectiveness of Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) strategies in enhancing Critical Thinking (CT) skills and academic performance in the study of English Phonetics and Phonology among students at a Spanish Higher Education Institution. A total of 54 students from a Bachelor’s Degree in Primary Education were divided into control and experimental groups to compare traditional teaching methods with IBL methodologies. Results indicated that students in the IBL group showed significant improvements in academic performance, critical thinking skills, and long-term retention of complex subject matter compared to those in the control group. Furthermore, the study highlights that the IBL approach not only facilitates the immediate educational outcomes but also equips students with essential cognitive tools for real-world problem-solving. This research underscores the pedagogical value of learner-centered models in the study of English Phonetics and Phonology, promoting active engagement and systematic thinking. The findings contribute to the growing body of literature advocating for the integration of active learning strategies across various disciplines and educational contexts.