Influence of Multiplication Domino Cards on Critical Thinking Skills in Multiplication Material

Abstract

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.