Ethno-Stem Project-Based Learning: Its Impact to Critical and Creative Thinking Skills

Abstract

Guiding students how to think critically and creatively is a crucial part of the educational process in order to meet the required skills to face the 21st century. In addition, attention to the local culture especially that is closely related to the scientific concepts needs to be strongly emphasized. Due to those two aspects i.e. creative and critical thinking as well as attention to local culture, the ethno-STEM project-based learning for high school students has been implemented and its impact to students’ critical and creative thinking skills has been investigated. This study involved 230 students from seven high schools in Central Java Indonesia. The data collection was carried out through a set of instruments to reveal the students’ critical and creative thinking skills. The instruments were declared as valid based on the experts’ judgment and showed an Alpha Cronbach score of 0.79 prior to use. The results showed that the ethno-STEM project-based learning was able to improve the average critical and creative thinking skills of students in all indicators varying from low to medium categories. The improvement of students' critical thinking skills was observed by the achievement of the N-gain score, i.e. 52 students (22.6%) achieved a high category, 102 students (44.4%) achieved a medium category, and 76 students (33.0%) achieved a low category. Moreover, an increase in the creative thinking skills was also observed, indicated by the N-gain score, i.e. 63 students (27.4%) were at a high category, 109 students (47.4%) were at a medium category, and 58 students (25.2%) were at a low category. In conclusion, the ethno-STEM project-based learning showed a significant effect on the improvement of students' critical and creative thinking skills.

The Effect of Project-Based Learning Assisted by Electronic Media on Learning Motivation and Science Process Skills

“…Project-Based learning gives a positive contribution when using real media (Anggreni et al, 2019). Therefore, Wahyuni and Nasbey (2015) and Gerhana, et al (2017) recommend the use of project-based strategy in learning as well as recent research conducted by Ismuwardani, et al, (2019); Sumarni and Kadarwati, (2020).…”

“…Therefore, it needs to be trained and developed in learning science (Suryana et al, 2015). The development of science process skills depends on the strategy and learning media used (Isnaningsih & Bimo, 2013;Wahyuni et al, 2017;Sumarni & Kadarwati, 2020). Science process skills include observing, making hypotheses, experimenting, classifying data, sorting data, summarizing and communicating (Wahyuni et al, 2017;Savitri et al, 2017;Ekawati et al, 2018).…”

Profile of conceptual photosynthesis and creative thinking: Study of 7th-grade students

“…The research was conducted to analyze the initial profile of creative thinking skills of students in three SMPNs in Rasau Jaya Sub-district in IPA learning. Creative thinking skills aim to synthesize ideas, produce new ideas, and determine the effectiveness of the existing ideas (Sumarni & Kadarwati, 2020). In this research, students answered question developed according to the creative thinking aspects, namely: fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration (Nurhamidah, 2018).…”

“…Based on observation it is likely due to students' habit that depends on their fellow group members during a practice; therefore, only students who have interest and are serious who will work on the test instruments. Moreover, it might be due to students' inabilities in terms of their unfamiliarity to student-centered learning, uncommon questions, less understanding on prerequisite contents, less creativity, and students' activities and involvement in the learning process (Sumarni & Kadarwati, 2020). The varied students' creative thinking skill requires a learning condition that involves learning experience so that creative thinking potential could develop.…”

“…Creative thinking skills aim to synthesize ideas, produce new ideas, and determine the effectiveness of the existing ideas (Sumarni & Kadarwati, 2020;Zubaidah, Fuad, Mahanal, & Suarsini, 2017). Students who are taught and provided with creative activities through learning process that involves creative activities and higher thinking skills are better than students who learn without creative activities (Rochmad, 2018).…”