<![CDATA[This study aims to analyze students’ critical thinking skills in matrix topics within a cryptography context and to identify the need for developing a Deep Learning-based electronic module for inclusive classrooms. Employing a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design with a case study approach, the research began with a quantitative phase involving problem-solving tests administered to 10 eleventh-grade students in an inclusive class at SMA Muhammadiyah 3 Yogyakarta. The data were analyzed descriptively using Ennis’s indicators, revealing low achievement in Reason, Clarity, and Overview, and moderate achievement in Focus and Inference. These findings indicate students’ difficulties in identifying relevant information, constructing mathematical reasoning, drawing inferences, and systematically communicating encryption-decryption procedures. The qualitative phase was conducted to explain the underlying factors and explore instructional needs through interviews, observations, and a needs analysis survey, which were analyzed using thematic analysis and the Miles and Huberman model. The integration of both phases demonstrates that conventional instruction has not sufficiently addressed the cognitive needs of students in inclusive classrooms and that a Deep Learning-based electronic module incorporating step-by-step visualizations, matrix manipulation simulations, and conceptual scaffolding is urgently needed to systematically enhance students’ critical thinking skills]]>
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