The Influence of Critical Thinking Skills on Students’ Mathematics Learning Outcomes

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effect of critical thinking skills on students’ mathematics learning outcomes in the topic of angles among fifth-grade students at Kedawung 02 Elementary School. Critical thinking skills are considered one of the essential higher-order thinking skills in mathematics learning because they enable students to analyze information, evaluate problems, and determine logical solutions. Based on preliminary observations, daily test results, and interviews with teachers and students, it was found that several students experienced difficulties in understanding angle concepts and solving problems that required reasoning skills. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine the influence of critical thinking skills on students’ mathematics learning outcomes. This research employed a quantitative approach using an ex post facto research design. The population consisted of all 22 fifth-grade students of Kedawung 02 Elementary School. A saturated sampling technique was applied, in which the entire population was used as the research sample. Data were collected through a critical thinking skills test and a mathematics learning outcomes test on the topic of angles. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics in the form of simple linear regression with the assistance of SPSS version 26. The results revealed that critical thinking skills had a positive and significant effect on students’ mathematics learning outcomes. The regression analysis showed a significance value of 0.000 < 0.05, indicating that the research hypothesis was accepted. Furthermore, the coefficient of determination (R²) was 0.551, suggesting that critical thinking skills contributed 55.1% to students’ mathematics learning outcomes, while the remaining 44.9% was influenced by other factors outside the scope of this study. Therefore, critical thinking skills can be considered an important factor affecting students’ success in learning mathematics, particularly in the topic of angles.