Student critical thinking skills and learning motivation in elementary students

Abstract

Critical thinking skills are 21st century life skills that are very necessary for life. The purpose of this study is to analyze the level of critical thinking skills of students, and how influential learning motivation is on students’ critical thinking skills. The research method used is mixed methods with explanatory sequential strategy. The sample of this study were students in grade V SD Jagalan. Data collection is done by the method of tests, interviews, observations, and documentation. The results of this study indicate that the critical thinking skills of students at SD Jagalan reach an average score of 67. Indicators of critical thinking skills from the highest to lowest values are interpretation, analysis, inference, and explanation. Based on the results a simple regression analysis shows the value of the correlation or relationship that is equal to 0.715. The influence of learning motivation on critical thinking skills is indicated by the coefficient of determination of 51.2%, while the rest is influenced by other variables. So, it can be concluded that there is an influence of learning motivation on critical thinking skills. The higher the motivation of students to learn, the higher their critical thinking skills.

The Impact of Online Mentoring in Implementing RADEC Learning to the Elementary School Teachers’ Competence in Training Students’ Critical Thinking Skills: A Case Study During COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Students do not have an intrinsic ability or capacity for critical thinking. Although some students are inherently interested, they require instruction to absorb knowledge in an analytical, methodical, and open-minded manner (Fajari et al, 2020). Someone who knows is not necessarily able to think critically.…”

“…The degree of education of Indonesian employees has an impact on this finding, particularly in terms of critical and analytical thinking abilities. Because a worker naturally follows formal schooling before looking for a job, pupils' critical thinking abilities at school might reveal the employees' inadequate critical thinking skills (Fajari et al, 2020). Some educational researchers across the level in Indonesia also reported the pedagogical strategies have not been optimal to develop the student's critical thinking skills where teachers did empower students with those skills (Fitriani et al, 2019;Kristiyanto et al, 2020).…”

Academic motivation as a predictor of the development of critical thinking in students

“…The study involved 35 fifth-grade students. The data were collected based on tests, interviews, observations and documentation; there were both qualitative and quantitative practices (Fajari, 2020). Despite a number of similarities, the major difference between this study and our research is that it was conducted among elementary school students.…”

“…The level of academic motivation in this study was defined based on the pattern that we also used in our research – the students were asked to answer the set of questions related to their attitude towards learning (Paul and Elder, 2019). Based on the results of categorization, it was revealed that 20% of students have strong academic motivation, 46% – moderate and 34% – low (Fajari, 2020).…”

Critical Thinking Skills and Their Impacts on Elementary School Students

“…In this case, learning in schools should be able to develop students' critical thinking skills. Some experts have claimed that several things influenced critical thinking skills: physical concentration, learning concentration, intellectual development, and learning motivation (Gul et al, 2014;Saeger, 2014;Fajari et al, 2020b). Hakim et al (2018) argued that students' initial knowledge would influence their critical thinking skills.…”