Enhancing critical thinking in primary education: A literature review on effective learning media

Abstrak

The enhancement of students’ critical thinking skills has become an essential priority across all educational levels, particularly in primary schools. This study analyzes the use of learning media to improve critical thinking skills among primary school students. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology was employed to address the research questions systematically. A total of 18 articles from various countries, including Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Jordan, Vietnam, and Kazakhstan, were reviewed. Indonesia contributed the highest number of studies, with nine articles, followed by Taiwan with two articles. The learning media identified in these studies were classified into four main categories: (1) multimedia and interactive visual media, (2) interactive digital applications and platforms, (3) flipped learning and hybrid learning, and (4) game-based and gamified applications. The findings indicate that multimedia and interactive visual media are the most frequently used and effective in enhancing critical thinking skills, as they support visualization, interactivity, and problem-solving. Interactive digital applications, flipped learning, and digital games were also found to improve critical thinking through independent learning, hypothesis formulation, analysis, and gamification mechanisms. These results underscore the importance of selecting appropriate learning media to support the development of critical thinking skills among primary school students in the era of digital learning technologies.

Kata kunci

• Critical Thinking
• Educational Technology
• Interactive
• Learning Media
• Primary School