<![CDATA[Critical thinking is an essential competency in 21st-century science learning that supports students in analyzing information, solving problems, and making evidence-based decisions. However, the profile of junior high school students' critical thinking skills on the topic of temperature and heat has not been comprehensively mapped using indicator-level diagnostic data. This study aims to describe the critical thinking profile of seventh-grade students at SMPN 4 Mesuji Makmur on the topic of temperature and heat, based on Ennis's (2011) five critical thinking aspects and 12 indicators, using a descriptive instrument supported by qualitative interview data. A quantitative descriptive approach supported by qualitative interview data was employed. Subjects comprised 94 seventh-grade students selected through total sampling. The instrument was a 25-item multiple-choice critical thinking test based on 12 Ennis (2011) indicators (2–3 items per indicator), validated by two expert lecturers through Content Validity Ratio (CVR ≥ 0.42), Product Moment correlation (r > 0.361), and Cronbach's Alpha reliability (α = 0.78). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, & Saldaña (2014). Results showed that the average critical thinking achievement was only 46.77% (SD = 8.43), in the low category (Arikunto, 2013), with 71 students (75.5%) in the low category, 18 students (19.1%) in the medium category, and 5 students (5.3%) in the high category. All five aspects were low: providing simple explanation (47.47%), building basic skills (43.94%), inferring (45.45%), providing advanced explanation (43.94%), and managing strategies and tactics (53.03%). Building basic skills and providing advanced explanation were the weakest aspects. These findings suggest the need for inquiry-based and practicum-oriented instruction specifically targeting observational reasoning and conceptual definition skills in temperature and heat learning.]]>
