<![CDATA[This research is motivated by the low critical thinking skills of Indonesian students based on PISA 2022 data, as well as Pancasila Education learning which remains conventional and lacks meaningfulness. The purpose of this study is to analyze the correlation between meaningful learning in Pancasila Education and the critical thinking skills of 8th-grade students at SMPN 1 Ngunut. This research employs a quantitative correlational approach with a sample of 78 students selected using a random sampling technique. The research instruments consisted of a meaningful learning questionnaire (15 items) and an essay test for critical thinking skills (5 items), both of which were declared valid and reliable (Cronbach's Alpha of 0.737 for the questionnaire and 0.640 for the test). The descriptive analysis results showed a mean score of 58.08 for meaningful learning and 71.92 for critical thinking skills. The prerequisite tests for normality (Kolmogorov-Smirnov sig. 0.200) and linearity (sig. 0.480) were met. The Pearson Product Moment correlation test obtained a correlation coefficient of 0.695 with a significance of 0.000 (p < 0.05), indicating a significant positive correlation with a strong level of relationship. The coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.483 shows that meaningful learning contributes 48.3% to critical thinking skills, while 51.7% is influenced by other variables. Thus, H₀ is rejected and Hₐ is accepted, meaning that the higher the meaningful learning, the higher the students' critical thinking skills.]]>
