Implementasi Pendekatan STEAM pada Materi Perubahan Energi dalam Meningkatkan Kemampuan Berpikir Kritis Siswa Kelas III

Implementation of the STEAM Approach to the Material of Energy Change in Improving the Critical Thinking Ability of Class III Students

Di era society 5.0 perkembangan teknologi semakin maju namun kemampuan berpikir kritis siswa saat ini masih kurang, sementara kemampuan tersebut sangat penting dimiliki siswa saat ini. Terjadinya hal tersebut dikarenakan pendekatan pembelajaran guru yang masih kurang tepat digunakan saat pembelajaran IPA. Penelitian ini ditujukan untuk mencari tahu kemampuan berpikir kritis siswa kelas III SDN Rungkut Menanggal I dalam materi perubahan energi sebelum dan setelah menggunakan pendekatan STEAM. Penelitiaan dilaksanakan dengan metode kuantitatif menggunakan desain Nonequivalent Control Group Design. Analisis data menggunakan teknik tes, observasi, dan angket. Hasil penelitian memperlihatkan dengan menggunakan pendekatan STEAM, kemampuan berpikir kritis siswa mengalami peningkatan. Hal ini terbukti dengan adanya peningkatan pada rata-rata hasil posttest pada kelas eksperimen senilai 81,32. Diperkuat oleh hasil uji t dengan hasil  > (2,382 > 2,000) dan signifikansi < α = 5% ataupun 0,05 (0,02 < 0,05). Selain kemampuan berpikir kritis yang meningkat, hasil observasi pelaksanaan implementasi pendekatan STEAM dikatakan efektif dibuktikan dengan hasil rata-rata persentase frekuensi aktivitas siswa melalui pembelajaran menggunakan pendekatan STEAM adalah 88,7%. Selain itu, respon siswa terhadap implementasi pendekatan STEAM dikatakan positif karena rata-rata hasil angket siswa memperoleh nilai sebesar 92,16%. Selain kemampuan berpikir kritis, kreativitas siswa juga meningkat.

Kata Kunci: STEAM, kemampuan berpikir kritis, energi.

In the era of Society 5.0, technological advancements are progressing rapidly, but the critical thinking abilities of students are still lacking, despite the importance of such skills in today's world. This situation is attributed to the inadequate teaching approaches used in science education. This research aims to determine the critical thinking abilities of third-grade students at SDN Rungkut Menanggal I in the topic of energy changes before and after implementing the STEAM approach. The research was conducted using a quantitative method with a Nonequivalent Control Group Design. Data analysis involved testing techniques, observations, and questionnaires. The results of the study show that the use of the STEAM approach leads to an improvement in students' critical thinking abilities. This is evidenced by the increase in the average posttest scores in the experimental group, which amounted to 81.32. The results were further supported by a t-test with a value of > (2.382 > 2.000) and significance < α = 5% or 0.05 (0.02 < 0.05). In addition to the improved critical thinking abilities, the implementation of the STEAM approach was found to be effective based on the average percentage frequency of student activities, which was 88.7%. Moreover, students responded positively to the implementation of the STEAM approach, as indicated by the average questionnaire score of 92.16%. In addition to the improvement in critical thinking abilities, students' creativity also increased.

Keywords: STEAM approach, critical thinking skill, energy.