Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan IPA (JPPIPA)
Vol 12 No 7 (2026): In Progress

Profile of High School Students' Critical Thinking Skills and Problem-Solving Abilities in Static Fluid Materials

Ardian Fachreza (Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia)
Andhy Setiawan (Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia)
Muslim (Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
06 Aug 2026

Abstract

This study aims to describe the profile of high school students' critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities in static fluid materials. A descriptive quantitative design was employed, involving 85 eleventh-grade students. Data were collected using essay tests based on Ennis’s and Heller and Heller’s indicators, then analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results revealed that students' critical thinking skills were moderate (mean: 67.01), with high proficiency in focusing on questions (97.35%) but severe weaknesses in deduction (53.24%) and induction (51.18%). Conversely, problem-solving abilities were very low (mean: 39.58), with all operational stages scoring poorly, particularly in evaluating solutions (25.65%). The study concludes that while students excel at surface-level information extraction, they experience significant cognitive bottlenecks in higher-order reasoning, physical representation, and systematic solution planning. Consequently, physics instruction must transition from procedural calculation to explicit, staged scaffolding that integrates multi-representation, scientific argumentation, and metacognitive evaluation.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

jppipa

Publisher

Subject

Agriculture, Biological Sciences & Forestry Biochemistry, Genetics & Molecular Biology Chemical Engineering, Chemistry & Bioengineering Chemistry Education Materials Science & Nanotechnology Physics

Description

Science Educational Research Journal is international open access, published by Science Master Program of Science Education Graduate Program University of Mataram, contains scientific articles both in the form of research results and literature review that includes science, technology and teaching ...