<![CDATA[The low critical thinking skills of elementary school students in multiplication require serious attention, as reflected in Indonesia’s below-OECD-average mathematics performance in PISA 2022 and the difficulties experienced by fifth-grade students at SDN Pucang IV Sidoarjo in understanding multiplication concepts due to teacher-centered learning and limited use of concrete media. This study examined the effect of multiplication domino cards on fifth-grade students’ critical thinking skills using a quantitative pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design. The participants were 24 Grade VB students selected through purposive sampling. The treatment was conducted in two meetings through card-matching activities, group discussions, worksheets, and presentations. Critical thinking was measured using 10 open-ended questions based on Facione’s indicators of interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference. The instrument was valid (r count > r table = 0.455) and reliable (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.952). Data were analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk normality test and Paired Samples t-Test. The results showed an average pretest of 59.63 increased to 81.88 in the posttest, with the results of the hypothesis test t(23) = -21.137, p < 0.001, and an effect size (Cohen's id) of 4.31 (very large category). These findings indicate a significant difference in critical thinking abilities in the groups studied after the use of multiplication domino cards media, although the design without a control group does not allow for causal conclusions to be drawn. The results of this study can be a recommendation for teachers to utilize card-based game media as an alternative for learning multiplication, as well as the need for further research with a control group experimental design.]]>
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