Pengaruh Penerapan Model Discovery Learning terhadap Kemampuan Berpikir Kritis Peserta Didik SD Kelas V pada Materi Muatan Pendidikan Pancasila

Abstract

Education in Indonesia continues to undergo curriculum changes and development as a strategic step to improve the quality and effectiveness of the learning process. One of the main challenges in education today is the low level of students’ critical thinking skills. To address this issue, innovation in the application of learning models is needed—models that actively engage students, with teachers no longer acting solely as content deliverers but also as facilitators who encourage deep and critical thinking. This study aims to determine the effect of the discovery learning model on the critical thinking skills of fifth-grade elementary school students in Pancasila Education lessons. This research employed a quasi-experimental approach and was conducted at SDN Pulo 01, Lumajang Regency. The results show that the discovery learning model had a positive impact on improving critical thinking skills, as seen from the difference in post-test average scores between the experimental class (72.8) and the control class (63.5). A t-test yielded a significance value of 0.010, indicating a significant difference between the two groups. Moreover, the learning atmosphere in the experimental class was more active, interactive, and encouraged full student engagement in the learning process. Therefore, the discovery learning model is proven to be effective in enhancing students’ critical thinking skills and supports the implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum, which emphasizes the development of students’ potential and reflective thinking.