Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills and Learning Outcomes through STEM Project-Based Learning in Energy Transformation Topic

Abstract

This study aims to improve students' learning outcomes and critical thinking skills using the STEM Project-Based Learning model. The research was conducted on fourth-grade students at SD Negeri Bulakan 01, Sukoharjo, during the 2023/2024 academic year. This study follows a Classroom Action Research (CAR) approach, where the teacher acts as the learning facilitator and the researcher serves as an observer. The research design is based on the model developed by Kemmis and McTaggart. The study was conducted in the second semester of the 2023/2024 academic year, specifically in February. The research subjects were 16 fourth-grade students at SD Negeri Bulakan 01, while the research object was students' critical thinking skills. Data were collected through observations and interviews and analyzed descriptively, presented in tables and graphs. The results indicate an improvement in students' critical thinking skills and learning outcomes. In Cycle I, students' critical thinking skills reached 63.3%, categorized as moderate. In Cycle II, these skills increased to 76.7%, categorized as good, reflecting a 13.4% improvement. The average student score increased from 72 in Cycle I to 82 in Cycle II. The data also show that in Cycle I, only 8 students (50%) met the Minimum Mastery Criteria (KKM). In Cycle II, the number of students meeting the KKM increased to 12, achieving a mastery percentage of 75%. The class-wide learning achievement in Cycle II met the success indicators, as at least 75% of students achieved individual mastery. Thus, implementing the STEM Project-Based Learning model in the IPAS subject has been proven to enhance learning outcomes and critical thinking skills among fourth-grade students at SD Negeri Bulakan 01.