Journal of Educational Sciences
Vol. 10 No. 8 (2026): Journal of Educational Sciences

The Effect of the Problem Based Learning Model on Critical Thinking in Basic Chemical Laws

Nabila Al-Zahra (Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Education, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta, Tangerang South, 15412, Indonesia)
Buchori Muslim (Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Education, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta, Tangerang South, 15412, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
05 Aug 2026

Abstract

Critical thinking is an essential 21st century skills to developed in chemistry education, particularly in the topic of Basic Chemical Laws, which require scientific reasoning. This research examines how the implementation of the Problem Based Learning approach impacts students critical thinking abilities within the context of Basic Chemical Laws. This quantitative study adopted a quasi experimental method with a non equivalent control group design, in which 72 tenth grade students from SMAN 95 Jakarta were selected through purposive sampling and assigned to an experimental class (n = 36) and a control class (n = 36). The instrument consisted of 17 critical thinking essay questions that had been validated by experts and empirically tested, with a Cronbach’s Alpha reliability coefficient of 0.841. Data were analyzed using the Mann Whitney U test, normalized gain, Independent t-Test and effect sizes. The findings reveal a significant difference in critical thinking skills between the classes (p = 0.001), where the experimental class achieved a higher average N-Gain (0.30) than the control class (0.19). This model yielded a moderate positive impact, supported by a moderate effect size (Cohen's d = 0.642), proving that the PBL model successfully enhances students critical thinking skills in Basic Chemical Laws.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

JES

Publisher

Subject

Religion Humanities Education Library & Information Science Other

Description

JES publishes original articles on the latest issues and trends occurring regionally and internationally in the educational sciences with the aim to advance our knowledge both in term of theory and practice. Moreover, this journal also covers the issues concerned with the following special sections: ...