The Development of Learning Tools to Improve Students’ Critical Thinking Skills in Vocational High School

Abstract

The essential critical thinking skills are developed in order to address the challenges of modern education, global competition, and democratic life. Therefore it is necessary to create an atmosphere of learning that allows students to be able to think critically especially for Students of Vocational School through the preparation of learning tools with appropriate strategies and critical thinking instruments that are tested to be used by teachers. In this case, the purposes of this research are 1) to produce a preparation of learning tools in the form of a teaching plan based on Problem-Based Learning, and 2) valid and reliable critical thinking instruments. Based on the expert test and user test results, the instructional tools were eligible to be used in terms of both design and substance. The critical thinking instruments were based on Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) with five dimensions: Inference, Recognition Assumption, Deduction, Interpretation and Evaluation of Arguments with thesubject of Pancasila and Civic Education. Instrument validity test using product moment Pearson’s correlation analysis, and factor analysis. While the instrument reliability test using Alpha Cronbach formula. This instrument was declared valid and reliable after it was tested on the then grade Students of Vocational School through three trials which resulted in 16 question items from 50 items prepared.