Psychometric analysis of the Minnesota Test of Critical Thinking.

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.

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.

Argumentation skills as a form of communication to externalize ideas through scientific discourse is a very important process in learning of biology. Develop strategies argumentation can be one of the alternatives that can help students to improve their critical thinking skills. Students can demonstrate their critical thinking skills, especially in inquiry-based laboratory activities. Therefore, the learning process that uses the inquiry-based laboratory experiments to establish scientific arguments should be designed to develop the argumentation and critical thinking skills of student. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Argument-Driven Inquiry (ADI) strategy, Argument-Driven Inquiry with Scaffolding (ADIS) strategy, and conventional strategy on the argumentation and critical thinking skills of pre-service sience teachers in Faculty of Teacher Training and Education of Lampung University. The study had been carried out in Quasi-Experiment of Pretest-Posttest Nonequivalent Control Group design. The data of the study were collected through argumentation and critical thinking tests before and after the implementation the learning strategies. The data were analyzed by using MANCOVA and were tested in terms of the normality and homogeneity beforehand. The result of the study showed that there were significant differences in the argumentation skill between the learning activities which implemented ADI, ADIS, and conventional strategies. ADIS learning strategy was more effective in improving the students’ argumentation skills compared to ADI and conventional learning strategies. Meanwhile, ADIS strategy was as effective as ADI strategy in improving the students’ critical thinking skills than conventional strategy. This study also showed that the students’ argumentation and critical thinking skills are similar or almost similar between two academic abilities (high and low) when ADIS was applied.

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.

The research was conducted to identify the Critical Thinking Skills and Academic Performance of the Senior High School aside from this it is the most important goal of schooling is to learn. And learning, as numerous educators have repeatedly pointed out, is a consequence of thinking. The purpose of the research is to determine the level of critical thinking skills of the respondents in the SHS of LFG-DNHS, thus the Pearson-R Correlation will use and purposive sampling to select the respondents. This method includes giving standardized critical thinking test to determine the profile, the scores and the level of critical thinking of the respondents. The respondents include a total of 45 senior high school students. On the basis of the aforementioned findings of the study, the following conclusions were drawn: The researcher found the profile of the respondent in their age, gender, religion, civil status, source of information in reading. Among the Area of Academic Performance and Mean of the 45 respondents it has a weighted mean of 3.35; the level of academic performance of 45 SHS students covering Core, Applied and Specialized (marked as 3.35 in the DepEd Grading System) with verbal interpretation of AVERAGE. In this regards, it shows that SHS subjects need to infuse critical thinking skills because they need to think critically or to understand first the problem before they can solve or make a decision especially they are future hope of the nation; The critical thinking skills levels of the respondents are not fully developed yet. They got a mean score of 28.01 that belongs to Beginning Thinker in the Critical Thinking Skills Test using the Critical Thinking Test. The test had proven that they did not attain the appropriate critical thinking level skills of a students enrolled in a General Academic Strand and Tech-Voc in the senior high school level; There is a significant relationship between critical thinking skills and the academic performance of the GAS and Tech-Voc Strand students which is -0.13534233 with a verbal interpretation of SLIGHT CORRELATION. It indicates that there is a need of infusing and developing critical thinking skills of the students as they move from one level to another and in facing the 21st Century Skills and the Outcomes-Based Education in the Senior High School Level.

Critical thinking skills are one of the important competencies that students must have in facing the challenges of the 21st century, especially in learning Natural Sciences (IPA) which requires the skills of observing, analyzing, and drawing conclusions logically. However, in reality there are still many elementary school students who have not developed their critical thinking skills optimally. This study aims to analyze the level of critical thinking skills of fifth grade students in science learning in elementary schools. The research method used is quantitative descriptive with purposive sampling technique. The research sample consisted of 58 students and 3 teachers from three elementary schools in Surabaya, namely SDN Babatan I, SDN Pradah Kalikendal III, and SDN Banyu Urip III. Data collection techniques were carried out through critical thinking tests, questionnaires, and interviews. The instruments used were test questions, questionnaire sheets, and interview guidelines. Data were analyzed using percentage techniques to determine the level of students' critical thinking skills. The results of the study showed that students at SDN Banyu Urip III had good critical thinking skills (67.34%), while students at SDN Babatan I and SDN Pradah Kalikendal III were still lacking, namely 47.43% and 50% respectively. Based on the results of the interview, teachers have tried to apply problem-based learning models and use learning media but the implementation has not been optimal and is still centered on the teacher (teacher-centered). Low critical thinking skills are caused by several factors, such as lack of variation in learning media, limited teaching aids, low student interest in reading, limited teacher time in preparing effective media, and minimal basic literacy skills of students. Therefore, it is necessary to apply active, collaborative, contextual, and student-centered learning models. Learning models that have the potential to improve critical thinking skills include problem-based learning, group discussions, debates, problem solving, and the use of interactive media such as videos or songs that have been proven to increase student enthusiasm and involvement in the learning process.

Does explicit teaching of critical thinking improve critical thinking skills of English language learners in higher education? A critical review of causal evidence

Exploring the use of ChatGPT to foster EFL learners’ critical thinking skills from a post-humanist perspective

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.

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.

One of the provisions of student to be able to answer the challenges of the 21st century is to be able to integrate critical and creative thinking skills in solving problems. The purpose of study was to determine the increase in integration of students’ critical and creative thinking through HOTS questions using the Self-Organized Learning Environments model in the Counting Rules learning topic at SMA Negeri 1 Yogyakarta. This classroom action research was carried out in two cycles, in which cycle consisted of planning, action, observation, and reflection. This study uses three stages in the SOLE model, namely Question, Investigate, and Review. Giving inquiry questions followed by the application of students’ knowledge in interesting and directed tasks in the student worksheets to increase curiosity and provoke students to start using their critical thinking skills. Solving LOTS, MOTS, and HOTS problem solving gradually train students to integrate critical and creative thinking skills. Each group presents the results of their exploration and investigation to improve the integration of critical and creative thinking skills of students. The result of observations on integration of critical thinking show that 15,63% of students are in very high criteria and 84,73% in high criteria. The same result is shown in the integration of creative thinking skills. The achievement test of student learning outcomes in the aspect of knowledge and skills is 87,50%. In this study also obtained the result of the implementation of learning is 93,33%. This research concludes that there is an increase in the integration of students’ critical and creative thinking skills in the Counting Rules.

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.

As early adopters of an emerging technology, the Tablet PC (TPC), certain University of Houston Information Systems Technology faculty began to integrate TPCs into the undergraduate curriculum in Fall 2003. Classroom experiences revealed the tool as particularly engaging to Information Systems Technology students. Thus, the authors now believe that TPCs have great potential to improve critical thinking skills of Information Systems Technology students if activities can be developed that capitalize on the inherent capability of the TPC to support visualization.We have just begun a formal investigation of the effectiveness of the TPC as an instructional tool that facilitates the development of critical thinking and learning skills in undergraduate Information Systems Technology students. The investigation extends previous work on the effectiveness of mind maps for improving critical thinking and problem solving skills by combining the visual learning technique of mindmapping with the emerging technology of the TPC and pen-enabled mindmapping software. The research question to be answered is: Do critical thinking skills of Information Systems Technology students improve when mindmapping activities are incorporated into the classroom and delivered via technology.In this paper, we first provide background information on the development of critical thinking and learning skills, the role of visual learning in the development of critical thinking and learning skills, and visual learning tools and techniques such as semantic networks, concept mapping, and mind mapping. We then describe the scope of the project we are undertaking and provide initial results of development efforts to create instructional modules and activities focused on mindmaps.

This research and development aims to produce character-based textbooks using multimedia that are of good quality in terms of validity, practicality, and effectiveness that can improve students' critical thinking skills. The research adopted the 4D model, which consists of four stages: define, design, develop, and disseminate. Data were collected through expert validation questionnaires, observation sheets of teacher and student activities, student response questionnaires, and critical thinking tests (pretest and posttest). The results of the study indicated that: (1) the character-based textbooks were highly appropriate, (2) the textbooks were found to be highly practical based on observations of teacher and student activities and received very positive feedback from students, (3) the textbooks were effective in improving critical thinking skills, as demonstrated by the medium category of n-gain on the critical thinking test and the posttest average score being higher than the pretest average score. This character-based textbook can assist teachers in instilling character and improving critical thinking skills in fourth grade elementary school students.

Education reform efforts, including the current adoption of Common Core State Standards, have increased attention to teaching critical thinking skills to all students. This study investigated the critical thinking skills of fourth-grade students from a school district in Texas, including 45 identified gifted students and 163 general education students. Identified gifted students outperformed general education students on both the Cornell Critical Thinking Test and the Test of Critical Thinking ( d = 1.52 and d = 1.36, respectively). There was no evidence of main effects or interaction effects for gender in measures of critical thinking within these samples. Critical thinking scores of students in the three schools did not differ significantly, nor were differences in scores associated with length of exposure to the gifted education program. The association of higher ability with advanced critical thinking skills, but at the same time, the lack of evidence of an effect of the gifted education programs (which did not focus specifically on critical thinking skills) suggests that differentiation of curriculum and instruction for gifted or advanced learners might fruitfully include deliberate differentiation of instruction in this area.