Empowering Analytical Minds: Enhancing Grade 6 Students' Critical Thinking through STEM Education

Abstract

This study had three main objectives: 1) to examine the analytical thinking skills of Grade 6 students both before and after participating in STEM learning activities; 2) to design STEM learning activities that effectively promote the development of analytical thinking skills among Grade 6 students; and 3) to enhance the analytical thinking skills of Grade 6 students through STEM education. A purposive sampling method was used to select a group of 30 Grade 6 students to participate in a comprehensive 15-hour lesson plan on rocks and the rock cycle. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed to derive the study's findings.

The results indicated that Grade 6 students demonstrated significant improvement in their analytical thinking skills, which could lead to critical thinking, after participating in the STEM education program. The students’ post-learning scores were higher than their pre-learning scores. This conclusion was supported by the students' responses and comments during the learning activities where teachers used questions in conjunction with real-life scenarios. The students showed enhanced analytical skills in three specific areas: content analysis, relationship analysis, and principle analysis. The continuous recording of the development of these skills highlighted the effectiveness of STEM education in promoting analytical thinking, which is a fundamental aspect of critical thinking skills.