Critical Thinking in Mathematics Education: A Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis - Ahmad Zaeni; Kartono Kartono; Mulyono Mulyono; Yohanes Leonardus Sukestiyarno (Department of Mathematics Education Program IPI Garut, 2025)
Minat akademis terhadap berpikir kritis dalam pendidikan matematika terus meningkat, tetapi pemetaan kontribusi ilmiah yang menyeluruh masih terbatas. Studi ini memadukan tinjauan pustaka sistematis dan analisis bibliometrik untuk memetakan tren publikasi, fokus tema, dan jejaring kolaborasi riset. Menggunakan protokol PRISMA, artikel dihimpun dari Scopus dengan kata kunci “critical thinking” dan “mathematics education” hingga 3 Juli 2025. Dari 2.088 catatan awal, 142 artikel memenuhi kriteria. Analisis VOSviewer menunjukkan pertumbuhan publikasi yang stabil dalam lima tahun terakhir, dengan dominasi studi kualitatif. Tema-tema utama meliputi integrasi berpikir kritis dalam kurikulum matematika, penerapan model pembelajaran inovatif seperti Problem-Based Learning dan kelas terbalik, serta pengembangan instrumen asesmen untuk keterampilan berpikir tingkat tinggi. Tinjauan ini merangkum lima komponen inti berpikir kritis matematis: pemecahan masalah autentik, pertanyaan reflektif, penalaran, evaluasi, dan strategi metakognitif, yang mendukung pemahaman konseptual dan fleksibilitas kognitif. Implikasinya, pendidik dan peneliti perlu mengintegrasikan komponen tersebut dalam desain pembelajaran dan asesmen, serta menguji efektivitasnya melalui studi empiris pada berbagai konteks dan jenjang pendidikan. Academic interest in critical thinking in mathematics education has increased, yet comprehensive mapping of scholarly contributions remains limited. This study combines a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis to identify publication trends, key themes, and research collaboration networks. Using the PRISMA protocol, articles were retrieved from Scopus with the keywords “critical thinking” and “mathematics education,” covering publications up to July 3, 2025. Of 2,088 initial records, 142 articles met the eligibility criteria. VOSviewer mapping shows steady publication growth over the past five years, with qualitative studies as the dominant approach. Major themes include integrating critical thinking into the mathematics curriculum, applying innovative instructional models such as Problem-Based Learning and flipped classrooms, and developing assessment instruments for higher-order thinking skills. This review summarizes five core components of mathematical critical thinking authentic problem solving, reflective questioning, reasoning, evaluation, and metacognitive strategies which support conceptual understanding and cognitive flexibility. These findings imply that educators and researchers should embed these components into teaching and assessment designs and examine their effectiveness through empirical studies across diverse contexts and educational levels.