Articles

Development of Problem-Solving-Oriented Electronic Module (E-Module) to Improve The Critical Thinking Skills of Class XI Senior High School Students on Acid-Base Material

The Independent Curriculum is a solution to the tight competition for human resources in the 21st century. The critical thinking skills needed in the 21st century can be improved through studying chemistry, especially acid-base materials. The problem-solving learning model is an appropriate learning model for understanding acid-base materials and can improve students’ critical thinking skills. Learning media that can be used in chemistry learning are electronic modules. The aim of this research is to develop a problem-solving-oriented e-module to improve critical thinking skills in acid-base materials. The development model in this research uses the 4D model by Thiagarajan. The development of problem-solving-oriented e-modules was declared suitable for improving students’ critical thinking skills in acid-base material in terms of validity, practicality, and effectiveness. Validity is seen in content and construct validity, both of which received a mode value of 5 in the very valid category. Practicality can be seen from the results of the student response questionnaire, which obtained a percentage of  98.75℅ in the very practical category and is supported by the results of observations of student activities. Effectiveness can be seen from the results of the students’ critical thinking skills pretest and posttest, which obtained a significance value of 0.00 using the paired sample t-test.

The Effect of Problem Solving Method on Learning Outcomes of Elementary School Students

This study aims to determine the difference in learning outcomes using the Problem Solving approach with classes that do not use the Problem Solving approach. This research uses quantitative approach by using quasi experimental method. This type of research is Nonequivalent Control Group Design with two groups, namely control group/class and experimental group/class. Both groups were given different treatments. The samples in this study were all Class V SDK Golo Mongkok which amounted to 40 students and were divided into two classes. Data collection techniques in the form of tests (pretest and posttest). The research instrument used is a test question.  Data analysis used is Descriptive Statistics, Data Normality Test, Variance Homogeneity Test, Statistical Hypothesis. The results showed that the average learning outcomes of the experimental class were higher than the control class. Thus it can be concluded that the application of the problem solving method can improve student learning outcomes.

Error Analysis in Solving Word Problems among Grade-8 Students

Despite the importance of problem-solving skills in preparing students for the workforce and the emphasis on problem-solving in mathematics education, studies have shown that many students struggle with mathematics problem-solving. In the Philippines, low proficiency in mathematics and a high prevalence of errors in problem-solving have been observed, emphasizing the need for further improvement in students’ problem-solving abilities. This research investigated the errors made by eighth-grade students of Talalora National High School in solving word problems and examined their impact on reading comprehension and analytical skills. A quantitative correlational design was employed, and standardized tests were used as data-gathering instruments. The analysis involved statistical measures such as frequency counts, percentages, mean, and standard deviation, as well as inferential statistical methods, including chi-squared for dependence, to establish correlations. The results showed that most respondents were 13 years old, with the instructional level of comprehension being the dominant category. The chi-squared test indicated a significant relationship between reading comprehension levels and problem-solving errors Χ²(6, N = 20) = 26.726, p < 0.001, Cramer’s V = 0.817. The identified errors were primarily related to challenges in comprehending and evaluating the problems. The study emphasized the importance of reading comprehension and analytical skills in solving word problems and suggested that educators should focus on developing these abilities to enhance students’ problem-solving proficiency.