Improving Elementary Students’ Learning Outcomes and Critical Thinking Skills through the Implementation of the PBL Model with PhET
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31949/jee.v8i3.15234Abstract
Learning outcomes and critical thinking skills are two interrelated and essential aspects for students in facing the challenges of 21st-century education. Critical thinking supports deeper and more meaningful learning processes, which directly contributes to improved academic achievement. However, at the elementary school level, learning is generally still focused on memorization and has not fully encouraged active student engagement. To address this issue, this study aims to examine the implementation of the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) model assisted by PhET simulations in improving the learning outcomes and critical thinking skills of fourth-grade elementary students in IPAS (Integrated Science and Social Studies) learning. This research employed a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design. The participants consisted of 60 fourth-grade students from SDN Ditottunan 01 Lumajang. Data were collected through pre-test and post-test instruments administered to both control and experimental groups, and analyzed using SPSS. The results showed that post-test scores for the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group (68.23 vs. 86.40; p < 0.001). Similarly, post-test results measuring critical thinking skills also indicated improvement in the experimental group compared to the control group (68.57 vs. 86.77; p < 0.001). These findings suggest that the implementation of the PBL model assisted by PhET simulations in elementary IPAS instruction can enhance the quality of the learning process, academic achievement, and students’ critical thinking skills.
Keywords:
Problem Based Learning;, PhET, Learning Outcomes;, Critical Thinking Skills, Elementary SchoolDownloads
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