The Influence of Problem Based Learning Model on Critical Thinking Skills of Elementary School Students in Social Science

This study aims to determine the effect of the Problem Based Learning model on the critical thinking skills of grade V students in Social Science subjects at Pasirtalaga II Elemetary School. The method used was pre-experiment with a one group pretest-posttest design. The sample in this study amounted to 32 class five students selected through purposive sampling technique. The instrument used was a description test to measure student critical thinking skills before and after the application of the Problem Based Learning model. The results showed that the average student pretest score was 48.00 which was classified as less critical, while the average posttest score increased to 82.91 and included a very critical category. Statistical tests using Paired Sample T-Test showed a significance value of 0.000 ( t-table 2.040, which means there is a significant difference between the pretest and posttest results. Thus, it can be concluded that the application of the Problem Based Learning model has a significant effect on improving students' critical thinking skills in Social Science learning.