Assessing students’ critical thinking skills in polymer chemistry through an innovative learning model

This study investigated how students’ critical thinking is reflected through cooperative activities guided by teachers. A research-oriented cooperative inquiry learning model was used to facilitate this investigation. A quantitative approach was employed in this descriptive study, with 62 students selected using purposive sampling. An observation sheet instrument was used to collect data directly at the university, consisting of 19 items for critical thinking skills. The implementation of the Research-Oriented Cooperative Inquiry Learning (ROCIL) model’s learning stages was very high at 81.25%. Based on the observations, students’ critical thinking skills were average at 71.13%. This study concludes that the ROCIL model can be used to teach chemistry to undergraduate students and reflect their critical thinking skills. Innovative learning models greatly contribute to smooth learning processes.