Improving Critical Thinking Skills of Students through the Development of Teaching Materials

Abstract

Student's critical thinking ability can be improved through a good learning process. For that, the learning process should be packaged in such a way that students are actively involved in the classroom. The effort to obtain these results is to improve the quality of learning through the use of good teaching materials. Learning to teach is a process that not only get information from lecturers but many activities and actions that should be done, in achieving better learning outcomes for students. For example from the provision of tasks that stimulate students to think critically, provided with methods and learning models in learning. The learning process is essentially a teaching-learning process that emphasizes the importance of learning through experience processes to gain experience. This approach has a very important role in determining the success or failure of the desired study. Critical thinking is a fundamental ability developed by lecturers in learning because today the ability to think critically is very important in everyday life. A lot of phenomena in everyday life are needed to be criticized, especially by students as the younger generation of the nation. For that, it needs to be trained by lecturers in the learning process through the development of teaching materials that support the achievement of improving students' critical thinking skills in lectures and applied in the community

Full text

Improving Critical Thinking Skills of Students
through the Development of Teaching Materials
Abstract—Student’s critical thinking ability can be
improved through a good learning process. For that, the
learning process should be packaged in such a way that
students are actively involved in the classroom. The effort to
obtain these results is to improve the quality of learning
through the use of good teaching materials. Learning to teach
is a process that not only get information from lecturers but
many activities and actions that should be done, in achieving
better learning outcomes for students. For example from the
provision of tasks that stimulate students to think critically,
provided with methods and learning models in learning. The
learning process is essentially a teaching-learning process that
emphasizes the importance of learning through experience
processes to gain experience. This approach has a very
important role in determining the success or failure of the
desired study. Critical thinking is a fundamental ability
developed by lecturers in learning because today the ability to
think critically is very important in everyday life. A lot of
phenomena in everyday life are needed to be criticized,
especially by students as the younger generation of the nation.
For that, it needs to be trained by lecturers in the learning
process through the development of teaching materials that
support the achievement of improving students’ critical
thinking skills in lectures and applied in the community
Keywords: ability improvement, critical thinking,
development, teaching materials
I. INTRODUCTION
The learning process requires good cooperation from
various parties. Ideal conditions, in presenting teaching
materials in the learning process and facilitate learners to
learn it, teachers need to organize teaching materials that
have been developed into teaching materials. But in reality in
the field, there are still many teachers who have not been
able to develop teaching materials independently. Teachers
rely more on textbooks or teaching materials compiled by
other teachers or provided by the Government. Teachers are
less aware of the importance of preparing the teaching
materials that are in accordance with the needs, the benefits
of teaching materials in the preparation of learning tools and
implementation of learning, teachers do not understand the
mechanisms and technical compilation of the right materials.
In addition, there are problems faced by teachers such as the
limited facilities of ICT in schools and the limited ability of
teachers in utilization. (Directorate of High School
Development compile and publish Technical Guidelines for
High School Material Development)[1]
As one of the study program who graduated the
prospective teachers then the study program of PPKn must
prepare it all, but it is not enough, especially with the
implementation of Curriculum 2013 which requires teachers
to have critical thinking skills. The 2013 curriculum develops
the spiritual attitudes, social attitudes, knowledge, and skills
of learners. (Permendikbud Number 54/2013). To be able to
improve the ability of good critical thinking through the
course of International Relations and Global Politics, then
the ongoing learning process must be packaged in such a
way that students are actively involved in the classroom. In
recent years, critical thinking has become a very popular
term in education, for many reasons educators have become
more interested in teaching critical thinking skills[2].
Efforts to obtain these results, one way to improve the
quality of learning. As mentioned above, teaching and
learning is a process that not only gets information from
lecturers but many activities and actions that should be done,
especially if you want better learning outcomes in students.
For example from the provision of tasks that stimulate
students to think critically and given the methods of learning
and learning models provided by lecturers. The approach in
the learning process is essentially a teaching-learning process
that emphasizes the importance of learning through
experience processes to gain experience. This approach has a
very important role in determining the success or failure of
the desired study.
Wijaya[3] argues critical thinking is the activity of
analyzing ideas in a more specific direction, discerning
things sharply, and developing in a more perfect direction.
Providing critical thinking exercises to students is
particularly important because they will have a scientific
attitude and the ability to solve problems both during their
classes and in the real life they experience.
Starting from what has been described above, then the
formulation of the problems posed in this study are as
follows:
1stRr. Nanik Setyowati
Pancasila and Civic Education
Department
Faculty of Social Sciences and Law
Universitas Negeri Surabaya
Surabaya, Indonesia
naniksetyowati@unesa.ac.id
2nd Maya Mustika Kartika Sari
Pancasila and Civic Education
Department
Faculty of Social Sciences and Law
Universitas Negeri Surabaya
Surabaya, Indonesia
mayamustika@unesa.ac.id
3rdSiti Maizul Habibah
Pancasila and Civic Education
Department
Faculty of Social Sciences and Law
Universitas Negeri Surabaya
Surabaya, Indonesia
sitimaizul@unesa.ac.id
1st International Conference on Social Sciences (ICSS 2018)
Copyright © 2018, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 226
240

1. How to develop the feasibility of instructional materials
courses International Relations and Global Politics in
improving the critical thinking skills of students S1 PPKn
PMP-KN FISH Unesa?
2. What is the critical thinking skill of the undergraduate
students of PMP-KN FISH Unesa when using the
developed teaching materials?
Critical thinking
According to Nadia Mirela Florea and Elena Hurjui[4],
critical thinking is a fundamental ability developed by
teachers in learning
Critical thinking is a fundamental skill that develops
early learning exercises and varied activities, depending on
the actual educational situation (static context) and critical
thinking development stage (dynamic context). Critical
thinking is based on knowledge updating (JL Steele, 2011:
23), analyzing differences and comparisons, namely the
establishment of similarities and differences, observing and
identifying cause-effect relationships, extracting ideas from
examples (inductive) support ideas with examples and
evaluation on the value of truth, utility, positive or negative
effects (R.V.D Brink-Budgen, 2000: 129).
Today the ability to think critically is very important in
everyday life because to develop other thinking skills, such
as the ability to make decisions and solve problems. Lots of
phenomena in everyday life that need to be
criticized[5].Critical thinking is indispensable in real life,
especially in education. Understanding critical thinking in
education is the process of thinking to make a decision from
various foundations such as evidence, methods, criteria,
context, conceptualization and relevant sources of
information. A student / prospective teacher who thinks
critically then he will be able to:
1. Recognize various issues in education easily.
2. Identify, analyze the cause of the problem and the degree
of relationship of a particular problem.
3. Able to make solutions and evaluate them as formulating
problems related to National Exam is needed or not.
4. Thereby critical thinking in the world of education is
very important because it will improve the skills and
professionalism in its activities in education.
Someone who has critical thinking skills will get many
benefits both within the scope of the class (learning in
school) in the world of work or in community life. Bassham
et al (2008) describe critical thinking as useful for improving
the ability to understand, construct and make decisions and
liberate a person from the dogma of prejudice[6]. According
to Hestiningsih, and Sugiharsono[7]improving the critical
thinking skills of learners is very important for learners
because the way learners gain knowledge depends on how to
think.
The characteristics of critical thinking involve a variety
of inductive skills in several stages, such as analyzing
problems openly, determining cause and effect, and
presenting conclusions by taking into account the various
relevant data obtained. So in principle when there is a thing
or event it will be studied in depth by the learners until they
understand.
Critical thinking is the ability to argue in an organized
way. Critical thinking is the ability to systematically evaluate
the weight of personal opinions and opinions of others.
Furthermore, critical thinking is the activity of analyzing
ideas or ideas in a more specific direction, distinguish it
sharply, choose, identify, study and develop it to a more
perfect (Wijaya, 1996: 72). Someone becomes more
weighted in dealing with a problem. Sapriya (2011: 87)
argued that the purpose of critical thinking is to test an
opinion or idea, including in this process is to consider or
thought based on the opinion proposed. The purpose of
critical thinking is to judge a thought, interpret values and
even evaluate the implementation or practice of such
thoughts and values. Even critical thinking includes
considering activity based on a known opinion. According to
Lipman (in Elaine Johnson, 2002: 144) states that these
considerations should be supported by acceptable criteria.
Elaine Johnson (2002: 185) also states that the aim of critical
thinking is to achieve a deep understanding.
From some definitions can be concluded that,
understanding of the ability to think critically has the
meaning of the power of thought that must be built on the
learner so that a character or personality is imprinted in the
learner's life to solve all problems of his life by identifying
any information received then able to evaluate and then
summarize it systematically and then able to express an
opinion in an organized way[8].
II.RESEARCH METHODS
This research is a type of descriptive research with the
way and step starting from (1) the mampping of SK and KD
that exist in KTSP 2006 and Curriculum 2013, (2) set the
substance of study subject of International Relations and
Global Politics with reference to achievement of subject/on
curriculum-based KKNI, (3) preparing various sources of
reference related to International Relations and Global
Politics, (4) determining parts of the book related to the
substance of the study of courses of International Relations
and Global Politics and attempted to accommodate material
International Relations and Politics Global, (5) preparing the
draft of teaching materials based on the substance of the
course study with reference to the achievement of
subject/competence on curriculum based on KKNI and the
material of International Relations and Global Politics, (6) to
analyze and discuss with Team related to the substance of
study of International Relations and Global Politics, (7) (8)
revising course materials based on input from the Expert
Team (which includes language, pedagogical, and expert),
(9) finalizing the writing of the subject matter of
International Relations and Politics Global so that it becomes
a draft of course material of International Relations and
Global Politics.
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 226
241

A. Research Sites
Location of research is in Pancasila and Civics Education
Department (PPKn) of Universitas Negeri Surabaya,
Ketintang`Street No.1 Unesa Surabaya.
B. Research Subject
Research Subject is students of S1 PPKn Program
Department of PMP-KN Force 2014 as many as 13 students
as a product trial.
C. Data Analysis Technique
As for analyzing data from the first problem formulation is
looking for data related to the development of teaching
materials of International Relations and Global Politics that
can make decent students have the ability to increase in
critical thinking by through interviews and observation.
Followed by making draft teaching materials, and performed
improvements in accordance with the input of the Expert
Team.
The second problem was obtained through a limited trial
of undergraduate students of 2014 a and b as many as 13
people while using developed materials. After that student
are given tasks related to the course material hi and global
politics. It was known to increase the critical thinking skills
they had because before the even semester they were using
hi and global politics materials that have not been
developed, also given the tasks that are based on the
materials that have not been developed
III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
A. The Development of Feasibility of HI Course Materials
and Global Politics in Improving the Critical Thinking
Skills of Student S1 PPKn FISH Unesa.
The researcher developed the course material of
International Relations and Politics Global worthy, so that
become the teaching material that can improve critical
thinking skill of student of PPKn FISH Unesa with the steps
as planned to start from preparing Semester Learning Plan
(RPS) to finalize writing subject matter of International
Relations and Global Politics subject to the draft of subject
material of Global Relations and Global Politics course
By doing some steps above the resulting teaching
materials are decided to be divided into 9 (nine) chapters.
The feasibility of the International Relations and Politics
Global material is reviewed in terms of material/concept,
learning/pedagogical, and readability/language of the
experts in improving students' critical thinking skills.
Overall, although the quality of teaching materials is still not
perfect already which compiled draft teaching materials
Global Relations and Global Politics can be said to have
feasibility. In summary, can be seen in table 3.1 below
Table 3.1 Teaching Assessment Instrument from the
Review Team
No.
Variable
Indicator
Evaluation Result
Yes
No
1.
Properness of
Content
1. Valid
√
2. Aligned social values
√
3. Latest
√
2.
Accuracy of
coverage
content
1. The breadth according to
the instructional
objectives
√
2.The depth according to
the instructional goal
√
3. the whole concept
√
3.
Digestion
1.Logical
√
2. Coherence
√
3.Simply example &
illustration
√
4. consistent format
√
5. explanation of relevance
√
6. explanation of benefit
√
4.
Language use
1. Variative
cmmunication
language
√
2. brief and straightforward
word
√
3. list of listing
√
4. effective sentences
√
5. paragraph with main idea
√
6. sentence in unified
paragraph
√
7. sentences in coherent
paragraph
√
5.
Illustration
1. Not too dense
naration
√
2. blank section
√
3. short sentence
√
4. Meaningful graphic and
image
√
5. correct numbering
√
6. consistence numbering
√
7. attractive alphabet
√
8. Not confusing letters
√
9. There are tools at the
beginning, discussion, and
end.
√
6.
Illustration
1. Illustration
√
2. Attractive illustration
√
3. Communicative illustration
√
.7.
completeness
1. Descriptions
√
1. Excercises
√
3. Feedback
√
4. Reinforcement
√
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 226
242

The draft test of teaching materials in odd semester
2017/2018 on undergraduate students Pin 2104 A and 2014
B as many as 13 students. From the results of this draft test
obtained input from students with the same teaching
materials assessment tools in Table 4.1 it can be concluded
from the evaluation results obtained all the items answered
yes except in the item variable digestion with enough
indicators of examples and illustrations and explanations of
relevance, then on item variable display in the letters of
interest and there are tools at the beginning, discussion, and
end.
B. Critical Thinking Skills of Undergraduate Students PPKn
PMP-KN Department FISH Unesa When Using Developed
Substances
Instructional materials International Relations and
Global Politics that have been developed conducted trials on
S1 students 2014 A and B as many as 13 people. After they
give feedback, they are assigned individually. His duties are
asked to search for various cases that occur in the world.
Apparently, the results are encouraging because they can not
only give examples of cases of events that occur in the
international world. In this case, the researcher uses a
problem-based learning model. As noted by
Amends[9]using PBL measures that include:
1. Orienting the students on issues
PBL models’ learning, in the beginning, involves a teacher’s
present clear learning objectives, establishing a positive
attitude about learning, and explaining the students about its
implementation. Next, there are orientation issues by the
teacher until the problems arise or discovered by the
students. Students are motivated to solve the problems
actively, to find the concept and principles.
2. Organizing students to learn
PBL models’ Learning require the participation of skills
development among students to assist them in investigating
the problem together, this idea will help in planning the
investigation and reporting their tasks. Although the study
group’s area needed, there are some important things to
know that learning is formed in diverse based on capability,
race, ethnicity, and gender consistent with the objectives to
achieve. If the differences are required in the group, then the
teacher can create a group with students to handle.
3. Help investigate independently or group
Investigations carried out independently, in groups or in a
small group that is the core of the model PBL. Although
each situation requires a slightly different problem,
investigation techniques, most include data gathering
process and experimentation, hypotheses, explanations and
settlement administration. At this stage, the teacher
encourages students to collect data and carry out the actual
activities until they truly understand the dimension of the
problem situation.
4. Develop and present work
Students respond to their friend’s task/problem
independently or in groups. Doing discussion, dialog or in
the debate as the way of solving problems that present.
Then, the teacher has a responsibility in directing the views
and responses but not to act as a source of justification.
5 Analyze and evaluate the results of problem-solving.
To Assist, analyze and evaluate the student’s idea or thought
are activities and intellectual skills that are used to solve the
problems and getting results. Moreover, the teacher should
assist the students to rearrange ideas and activities from
every stage of learning. These are also the final part of the
PBL Learning model.
Margetson[10]states that PBM enhances the development of
learning skills in an open mindset, reflective, critical and
active learning. PBM facilitates successful solving
problems, communication, group work and interpersonal
skills better than others.
Through problem-based learning model (PBM) students can
improve their critical thinking skills. If the original students
can only explain the outline of the problem that must be
solved, after using the textbook that has been developed,
students can explain who the subject, the object and the
process of occurrence of the event. It can then explain the
process of conflict resolution that occurs through
conciliation/reconciliation, mediation or arbitration.
Students can explain the solution that should occur if the
problem is not completed because there are instances of
cases that still occur such as the Rohingya case.
Students provide a solution if the ASEAN agreement
not to interfere in the domestic affairs of a country if not
requested needs to be reviewed. This shows that existing
teaching materials that provide materials, exercises and
tasks can stimulate students to think critically. In addition,
teaching materials also provide opportunities for students to
develop their knowledge related to existing materials in
teaching materials. For example, the organization of the
region where students are asked to look for another example
than those already has been given by the lecturer through
teaching materials. The assignment is an enrichment for the
students after receiving the lecture material. Associated with
the scientific approach used in the curriculum 2013, the
aspects of observing to create can be done by students.
A critical thinking student will have the ability to
explore and present the relationship of a problem with other
experiences relevant to the problem. In this case will be an
organized thinking process to solve a problem by involving
mental activities that include the ability to: give arguments,
formulate problems, do induction and deduction, evaluate,
and make decisions. Lecturers need to develop Teaching
Materials because they have to have or use teaching
materials appropriate to
1. Curriculum, in this case, the teaching materials that have
been generated from the preparation has been designed to
follow the curriculum KKNI so that the making of teaching
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 226
243

materials through the process ranging from RPS mapping of
learning achievements to finalization that has been done. So
it can help prospective teachers PPKn in the future. It is
undeniable that every level of HI class and global politics in
junior high and high school must be there, so the
prospective teacher has an obligation to be more serious in
learning what is to be his teaching skill.
2. The demands of solving learning problems, the students
are included in the group of andragogy, so to make the
teaching materials of this matter is considered especially in
the making of the problem, the criteria of the given
questions must be in accordance with the characteristics of
the objectives of the analysis because the purpose of this
teaching is to hone student criticality.
A good textbook as one of the teaching materials
produced has at least a quality prerequisite, an adequate
pedagogical or learning quality and a level of legibility
relevant to the needs or level of comprehension and the
reader's ability to think. So, in the preparation, it needs to be
considered on the aspects of the curriculum, the needs of the
target, and the characteristics of the target. For that teaching
materials to be generated require assessment from the
experts that are experts in substance, language experts and
pedagogical experts so that the material can be accounted
for feasibility. The ideal learning process requires the use of
textbooks in improving students' critical thinking skills in
understanding the problems that exist in the world and
beyond. To improve the ability of good critical thinking,
then the process of learning that takes place should be
packed in such a way that students are actively involved in
the classroom. To obtain these results, one of them by
improving the quality of learning. As noted above, teaching
and learning is a process that not only gets information from
lecturers, but many activities and actions should be done,
especially if they want better learning outcomes from
students. For example, the provision of tasks that stimulate
students to think critically and the given methods and
learning models provided.
The approach in the learning process is to conduct
teaching and learning process that emphasizes the
importance of learning through experiencing process to gain
experience; this has a very important role in determining the
success or failure of the desired study. Critical thinking is
indispensable in real life especially in the field of education
because critical thinking in education is the process of
thinking to make decisions from various foundations such as
evidence, methods, criteria, context, conceptualization and
relevant sources of information. Moreover, behind the
development of citizenship commitment is also implied the
desire to familiarize students as participants and become
transformative citizens who want to participate at least give
his thoughts to solve the problems or events that occur in the
international world. Although occurring within the
international sphere Indonesia will directly or indirectly be
affected. With a position as a citizen of the Republic of
Indonesia, students are invited to develop and actualize the
values of citizenship with various real activities related to
the material, even in the international world.
Students learn not only to remember the facts lecturers
give in lectures but must be able to see the various
phenomena behind the facts. The learning process is not
only aimed at remembering facts but learning beyond facts.
Developing a learning process that emphasizes giving
students the opportunity to have thinking skills will be more
empowering and meaningful.
Guilford (1956) suggests that experts have
recommended two types of thinking strategies in learning,
i.e., convergent and divergent thinking that is developed in a
balanced way. Convergent thinking strategies have been
tested to improve critical, logical, systematic and planned
thinking skills, while divergent thinking strategies generate
creative, imaginative, and spontaneous thinking[11].
The students’ critical thinking skills can be improved by
being trained in learning that requires them to explore,
inquire, problem-solve, solve problems so as to achieve a
solution of their own. For that learning materials developed
and stimulate students to develop the material must be
equipped with the provision of exercise and good tasks that
can improve the critical thinking skills of students. This is
also in accordance with the 2013 curriculum with the
scientific approach or KKNI at the level of students with
learning achievement.
IV. CONCLUSION
Developing the appropriate course of International
Relations and Global Politics Subject Materials and
subsequently become a practical and easy-to-understand
subject by undergraduate students of PPKn with
predetermined steps ranging from a mapping from K 2013 to
ready to become a ready-to-trial material. Establishment of
study program with the topic of Global Relations and Global
Politics with reference to the achievement of
subjects/competencies in the curriculum based on KKNI.
The establishment of new RPS from HI and Global Politics
are courses along with the development of the textbook.
Critical thinking is indispensable in real life, especially
in the field of education, because critical thinking in
education is the process of thinking to make decisions from
various foundations such as evidence, methods, criteria,
context, and conceptualization and relevant sources of
information. In the end, this can be practiced by students in
real life.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Authors wish to thank the Faculty of Social Sciences and
Law, Universitas Negeri Surabaya for providing the research
grant in 2017.
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