An analysis of critical thinking skill and interpersonal intelligence in the development of ethnoscience-based teaching material salt production

Abstract The environment can act as a source of learning for elementary school students. Environmental-based science learning is really important in building the basic concepts of science. Teaching material development for learning resources is rarely carried out by teachers. The objective of this research was to analyze the use of salt ethnoscience-based teaching material on students’ critical thinking skills and interpersonal intelligence. The research method used was a mixed method with a concurrent embedded research design. This research was conducted in two public elementary schools in Demak Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. The sample in this research amounted to 96 sixth-grade students. Data collection techniques used were tests and questionnaires. The research results showed that the use of salt ethnoscience-based teaching material had an effect on critical thinking skills with an N gain of 0.64 at moderate interpretation. The critical thinking skill showed a positive correlation with students’ interpersonal intelligence with r = 0.657 (moderate). It can be concluded that the implementation of ethnoscience-based teaching material is effective for improving critical thinking skills and interpersonal intelligence.