<![CDATA[Critical thinking is an essential 21st-century competency that should be developed from primary education. Although Meaningful Learning supports meaningful learning and higher-order thinking, students’ critical thinking skills remain underdeveloped. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the relationship between the Meaningful Learning approach and elementary school students' critical thinking skills. This study employed a quantitative approach with a correlational research design involving elementary school students as the research participants. Data were collected using a Meaningful Learning questionnaire and a critical thinking skills test developed based on Ennis's FRISCO framework. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis after fulfilling the required assumption tests. The findings revealed that students' Meaningful Learning level was categorized as moderate, while their critical thinking skills were categorized as fairly critical. Furthermore, the correlation analysis indicated that there was no significant relationship between Meaningful Learning and students' critical thinking skills. These findings suggest that the development of critical thinking skills is influenced by multiple interacting factors rather than relying solely on a single instructional approach. The study implies that enhancing students' critical thinking skills requires the integration of Mindful Learning, Meaningful Learning, and Joyful Learning, supported by instructional strategies that promote problem solving, reflection, and higher-order thinking activities to create more meaningful and effective learning experiences in primary education.]]>
