The purpose of this study is to evaluate the psychometric and structural instruments of the Physics Metacognition Inventory (PMI) developed by Taasoobshirazi, Bailey, and Farley (2015). The PMI consists of 26 items in six factors. The English and Indonesian versions were tested on an English course (N = 37) in the Geophysics study program at Tadulako University. The trials were conducted separately within a two-week interval. The data collected from 364 students of the Physics Education Department, University of Tadulako were analyzed using the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Later, data were collected from 351 students of some Indonesian universities which have physics education study programs, and the data were analyzed using the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The EFA result reveals six factors based on the rotation result with the maximum loading factor. The CFA result shows the RMSEA values of .018, 2 (284) = 316.32 (χ2 / df = 1,11), GFI = .93, CFI = .99, AGFI = .92 and NFI = .93 which meet the cut-off statistic value, and therefore, the model is considered fit, with the Construct Reliability Estimation (CR) of .93, Composite Reliability of  = .95, and maximum reliability of Ω = .96. The results obtained reveal that the PMI scale has good, valid and reliable psychometric properties. Therefore, PMI can be used to measure the level of metacognition of students when solving physics problems. Future studies using PMI are also discussed.

Self-efficacy and critical thinking represent two vital components for university graduates in the 21st century learning. However, several studies reported that these two important outcome predictors were unsatisfactory. This study aimed at investigating the effects of problem-based learning (PBL) on pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy and critical thinking. A quasi-experimental nonequivalent pretest-posttest control group design was utilized. A total of 44 pre-service elementary school teachers (aged 19-22) at a private university in Indonesia were assigned as experimental (n = 22) and control (n = 22) groups. The experimental group learning received PBL, while the control group learning with traditional college instruction. The Self-Efficacy Scale (SES) and the Critical Thinking Questionnaire (CTQ) were administered before and after the intervention in both groups. Independent and paired samples t-tests were employed to analyze the pretests and posttests data. The results indicated that PBL was more effective in increasing self-efficacy and critical thinking of pre-service elementary teachers than traditional teaching. It is suggested that PBL should be used more frequently in science learning to further enhance students’ self-efficacy and critical thinking skills in higher education.

Research on critical thinking skills has been frequently carried out, but it has not shown maximum results. This problem is exacerbated by the differences in pre-service teachers’ academic abilities. A new learning model that can improve pre-service teachers’ critical thinking skills and reduce the gap in critical thinking skills among the upper, middle, and lower academic ability pre-service teachers is needed. This research aims at exploring the potential of the QASEE learning model on the critical thinking skills of different academic ability. This quasi-experimental research involved 107 pre-service teachers of Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Fatah, Indonesia. The research classes were divided into three classes, namely the QASEE class (experimental class), the RQA class (positive control class), and the conventional class (negative control class). Each class was further divided into upper, middle, and lower academic categories. The data were collected using an essay test supported by a critical thinking skill rubric. The data were analyzed by using ANCOVA and followed by LSD test. The research results show that the QASEE (Questioning, Answering, Sharing, Extending, and Evaluating) learning model can improve and equalize the critical thinking skills of pre-service teachers with various academic levels. Thus, the QASEE learning model can be used as a new reference to improve pre-service teachers’ critical thinking skills, especially the lower academic ability.

New Inquiry-Based Learning (NIBL) was developed to improve students’ multiple higher-order thinking skills (MHOTS), such as thinking critically, analytically, creatively, and practically (CACP). This study aimed to examine the increase of students’ MHOTS ability, their perceptions of the NIBL model, and the contribution of the NIBL model to the learning outcomes.  A quasi-experiment of the nonequivalent control group design was implemented in this study. Research subjects were university students majoring in chemistry education and enrolling in the Organic Chemistry course. The experiment and the control groups consisted of 34 and 32 students, respectively. The collected data were analyzed by using t-test and ANCOVA procedures. N-Gain scores were calculated to measure the differences in the increase in learning outcomes. Eta square values measured the contribution of NIBL. The results of this study revealed that there were differences in the learning outcomes of the experiment and control group. The CACP thinking skills and the mastery of organic chemistry concepts of the experiment group increased significantly. The N-Gain scores of practical thinking skills aspect were on medium category, and for critical, analytical, and creative thinking, as well as for mastery of organic chemistry concepts were on high categories. For the control group, the N-Gain scores of all categories were on low or medium categories. The NIBL model effectively improved the prospective chemistry teachers’ M-HOTS in terms of CACP thinking skills and contributed significantly to the increase in the students’ mastery of organic chemistry concepts.

This research aimed at analyzing the influence of ‘Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning’ model assisted by realia media, in which it was to improve the scientific literacy and critical thinking skill of primary school students, especially for the material of energy. This quasi-experiment research used single factor independent groups design. The research sample of this research were fourth grade students of SD Inpres Oeba 2 Kupang City, East Nusa Tenggara Province, of which students were in the academic year of 2019/2020. The technique of sample collection was carried out purposive sampling for 2 classes. The IVA class was used as the experimental class (POGIL model assisted by the realia media), in which it consisted of 30 students and the IVB class was used as the control class (expository learning) that consisted of 28 students. The learning was carried out in four meetings. The data of scientific literacy and the results test of critical thinking were collected by means of objective test on the energy material. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze the data using significance level of 0.05. The results indicate that (1) There is a significant difference between the students’ scientific literacy who gain the POGIL learning assisted by the realia media and the students’ scientific literacy who get the expository learning; and (2) There is a significant difference between the critical thinking of students who get POGIL learning assisted by realia media and the students who get the expository learning. It can be concluded that there is a significant difference between the scientific literacy and the students’ critical thinking taught by the POGIL learning that assisted by realia media to the students who use expository learning. Since there is a significant difference, it means that the POGIL learning assisted by realia media has an influence on the students' scientific literacy and critical thinking.

This quantitative research aims to analyze the effects of the principal's decision-making, organizational commitment and school climate on teacher performance in vocational high school. The research sample was 160 vocational school teachers in North Minahasa Regency with simple random sampling method. The data were collected using a Likert scale questionnaire 25 with statements. The data analysis was performed using simple linear regression and multiple linear regression. The results showed that the principal's decision-making, organizational commitment and school climate had a positive and significant effect on the performance of vocational school teachers, both partially and simultaneously. The results of this research can be an important reference for educational administrators at vocational high school level to design school strategies and policies that can encourage increased teacher performance to achieve better school productivity.

This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of virtual laboratory based on semi second life (s-SL) on higher order thinking skills of general senior secondary school in chemistry learning process. The research design was adopted posttest-only design approach to a quasi-experimental. This study was conducted in the one of public general senior secondary school in 3T regions – Bangkalan City – one of the cities in East Java Province, Indonesia. There were 81 students in the grade 11 of natural science who involved in this study. The participants were divided into three groups, namely the students who did practical work by demonstration methods in chemistry real laboratory, the students who did practical work by experiment methods in virtual laboratory based on s-SL, and the students who did practical work by combination both of them (demonstration methods in chemistry real laboratory and experiment methods in virtual laboratory based on s-SL). The students in each group was tested by posttest of higher order thinking skills. The data was analysed with one-way ANOVA. The results of data analysis shows that there is a significance difference of each groups. Virtual laboratory based on s-SL has enough effect on the students’ higher order thinking skills.

Every school should be able to equip students to have the ability to integrate the knowledge gained with real life in responding to global challenges. Assessment of learning outcomes in the form of cognitive and skill aspects must go hand in hand. This study aims to produce: (1) a critical thinking model integrated with the science process, (2) construct validity and reliability instruments that measure the integrated critical thinking skills of science process skills in high school chemistry learning. This assessment model uses the Design and Development approach which refers to the Ellis & Levy model, namely: (1) problem (2) goal setting, (3) model design and development, (4) model testing, (5) evaluation of the test result model, and (6) application model. The validity assessment consisted of 3 measurement and measurement experts, 2 chemistry education experts, and 2 treatments. The trial sample described 289 high school students in Sleman Regency. Proving the validity of the content using the Aiken formula gets a value of 0.923 in the good category. Internal instrument reliability is included in the reliable category with a value of 0.886 (> 0.7), while the Composite Reliability ranges from 0.88 to 0.90. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the value of the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) was 0.021 <0.08, the Chi-Square obtained from <2df testing was 38.29 <2 (34) and the Goodness of fit Index (GFI) was 0.97. > 0.90 or a model declared according to the data obtained in the field and can be used in extensive measurements.

The purpose of the study was to identify how debates effected the analytical thinking abilities of tertiary students and how the debates as an instructional approach were perceived by the students. The study used quantitative data collection methods such as tests and observation checklists and qualitative data collection methods such as a focus group discussion. The data was yielded from the measurements of students’ analytical thinking, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and decision-making skills. The pretest and posttest measurements were administered using the test of analytical skills, the quiz entitled “Get Ready to Test Your Analytical Skills!”, and the problem-solving test. The study found that the debates improve the students’ analytical thinking abilities and are perceived positively by them. The pretest and posttest measurements results, observation reports, and a focus group discussion showed that the debate-driven instructional model brought positive change to students’ analytical thinking, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and decision-making skills which are supported by the statistically significant Mean differences in all the variables. The findings from observations implied that the lessons were organised in a way that could sufficiently challenge the students, engage them in the search of information, and presenting their findings based on the facts and statistics. The results obtained from the students’ responses in the outline focus group discussion found that the students appreciated participation in the debates as they associated the experience with job benefits, the practical value of the debates, learning engagement, and research.

This study aimed to analyze the Research-Based Learning (RBL) model implementation in the natural sciences in improving students’ analytical thinking skills. This study employed a mixed-method with a sequential exploratory design. Data collection began with qualitative data and then continued with quantitative data. Qualitative data collection techniques used observation and interviews, while quantitative data collection used essay tests. Sampling was carried out before the research implementation. The samples were students of the PGMI IAIN Surakarta Study Program, Indonesia, which consisted of 34 pre-service elementary school teachers. The research was conducted in the odd semester of the 2019/2020 academic year. Quantitative data analysis techniques used a quasi-experimental design with one group pretest-posttest. Based on the results of four observations on the research treatments, the mean was 3.714, in which the values of preliminary activities were 3.625, core activities were 3.714, and closing activities were 3.75, used a rating scale (1-4) with the very good category. The RBL model implementation in the natural sciences in the concept of energy can improve the analytical thinking skills of students, as evidenced by the N-gain value was 56.57%in the medium category. This increase was obtained from the mean of the pretest score (46.84) and the post-test score (76.9), by using a rating scale (0-100). The research findings provide ideas to lecturers and researchers in improving the student's analytical thinking skills through the application of innovative learning models in the topic of the concept of energy.

Spatial thinking has roles to facilitate learners to remember, understand, reason, and communicate objects and the connections among objects that are represented in space. This research aims to analyze the spatial thinking process of students in constructing new knowledge seen from the field-independent cognitive style learners based on Action-Process-Object-Schema (APOS) theory. APOS theory is used to explore spatial thinking processes which consist of mental structures of action, process, object, and schema. This research is qualitative research with an exploratory method. It provided the students' opportunity to solve problems alternately until the method found the most appropriate subjects for the research objectives. The subjects were 2 students of Mathematics Education in the fourth semester of Universitas Muria Kudus Indonesia. The data collection techniques were started by distributing the validated and reliable spatial thinking questions, the cognitive style question, and the interview. The applied data analysis consisted of data reduction, presentation, and conclusion. The findings showed (1) spatial thinking process of holistic-external representation typed learners were indicated by the representative thinking element, abstract-illustrative figure expression to communicate and complete the tasks correctly, (2) spatial thinking process of the holistic-internal representation typed learners were indicated by the representative means, having ideas, connecting with the previous knowledge in the forms of symbols and numbers, and finding the final results correctly although incomplete.

Literacy ability is an individual's ability to reason, formulate, solve, and interpret mathematically to solve problems related to daily life. Executive function is a cognitive aspect that has a relation with mathematical literacy. One of some aspects that affects the low mathematical literacy ability is the aspect of executive function. This study aims to investigate the characteristics of mathematical literacy based on the executive function aspects of 15 years old students. A qualitative method with a descriptive approach is employed in this study. The present research applies interview guidelines, questionnaires, and students' mathematical literacy tests as the instruments. Research subjects are junior high school students in grade VIII from two different schools. The result shows that the students' executive function influences mathematical literacy ability. Students' mathematical literacy ability is not fully achieved by fulfilling all the indicators involved. Another aspect found in the research is the low critical thinking ability impacts the achievement of mathematical literacy ability indicators.

This study aimed to describe the differences in students' creative thinking skills in a problem-based learning model with scaffolding in the biochemistry course. This study was designed using a quantitative explanatory research design with a sample of 113 students of the Jambi University Chemistry Education Study Program. In this study, the researcher used the experimental class and control class. The sampling technique used is total sampling and purposive sampling. The research data was taken by observation, test, and interview methods. The quantitative data analysis used was the ANOVA test and continued with the Post-Hoc Scheffe’s test. The findings of this study indicate that the results of the ANOVA test indicate a significant difference in the average creative thinking results in terms of psychomotor aspects with the acquisition of significance scores of 0.000. In addition, the results of this study indicate that class A students have higher creative thinking skills than class B and class C. This is because class A students use a problem-based learning model integrated with scaffolding in their learning.

Scientific literacy is a critical competency for people to take an essential role in science, technology, and social advancement. It is important to note that this competence is still a problem for most students worldwide. Therefore, this study analysed students' scientific literacy differences between a project-based learning flipped classroom (PjBL-FC) and a project-based learning (PjBL) class assisted by learning resources in wetlands environments. This quasi-experimental study used a non-equivalent control group design involving Class X Senior High School as the sample. The data were inferentially analysed by t-test. The results showed that the scientific literacy of students in the class that applied the PjBL-FC was better than those who applied only PjBL. Furthermore, all the indicators reach the high to very high category except the ability to propose a hypothesis, which is in the medium category. It was concluded that flipped classroom makes the PjBL take place more efficiently and effectively. Further studies can be carried out to determine how students use the learning materials, how teachers design the PjBL strategy in an online platform, their effect on scientific literacy, and how to combine PjBL with other approaches.

The accuracy of assessing the capabilities of the process and product in chemical practice activities requires appropriate measurement procedures to be followed. It is crucial to identify the components that can introduce bias while measuring student abilities during the measurement process. This study aims to identify the components or criteria used by teachers to assess student performance in practicum activities and analyze the quality of the rubrics developed. The study was conducted with the participation of three raters, 27 high school students, and nine assessment criteria. A quantitative descriptive approach was employed using the many-facet Rasch model (MFRM) analysis for measurement. The results of the MFRM analysis show no significant measurement bias, with data measurement facets fitting the MFRM model. The reliability of all the facets meets the criteria, and the scale predictor functions appropriately. While all students can easily pass four out of nine items, five items can only be partially passed by students. The assessment criteria that require special attention include communication skills, tools and assembly, interpretation, cleanliness, and accuracy when performing practicums. These criteria provide feedback for teachers and students to ensure successful practicum activities. The Discussion section of this study delves into the findings and their implications.

The problems in education in the countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) vary from country to country. The differences between "upper class" and "lower class" countries in PISA assessment results have led to a research gap. The purpose of this study was to (a) test students' mathematical literacy skills on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) test and compare the results using the sum of means across OECD countries; (b) examine the relationship between students' mathematical competence, precision, and self-perception of mathematical literacy skills in the PISA test; and (c) analyze the gaps that exist between the implementation of mathematics instruction in school and the mathematical literacy as measured on the PISA test. This study was designed as a mixed method with an explanatory sequential design. The data collection methods included test procedures, questionnaires, and interviews. The result of this study showed that the overall mean score obtained was below the OECD average. In general, the respondents achieved only level 2 mathematics proficiency. A significant relationship was found between mathematical competence, precision, and self-perception in mathematical skills. On the other hand, there was a gap, namely the difference at the implementation level, where mathematical literacy measured by PISA differed from the measurement of mathematical learning achievement by teachers in school. The results showed that teaching that emphasizes only problem-solving procedures affects low mathematical competence and is not useful enough for students to deal with the PISA mathematics test.

This study aimed to compare and examine the effectiveness of interactive STEM learning and paper-and-pencil STEM learning in terms of mathematical literacy skills of elementary school students. This research is of a quasi-experimental type with a non-equivalent pretest-posttest control group design. Sampling was carried out on the elementary school populations in Bengkulu and South Sumatra Provinces in two stages. In the first stage, schools in rural and urban areas were selected, and in the second, classes in each school were randomly selected. The selected sample consisted of fifth-grade students of the Public Elementary School of Terawas, Musi Rawas, with an experimental class A (n = 20) and an experimental class B (n = 19), as well as fifth-grade students of the Public Elementary School of Bengkulu City, with an experimental class A (n = 25) and an experimental class B (n = 22). Data collection was conducted using mathematical literacy skills tests in reference to the PISA and Minimum Competency Assessment (level 1–3). Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics; it employed an independent t-test for the comparative testing and an N-gain test for testing the effectiveness of STEM learning. The results showed that there were differences in math literacy skills between interactive STEM and paper-and-pencil STEM for students in urban schools, but not significantly different for students in rural schools. General STEM learning was effective in increasing the literacy of elementary school students, and interactive STEM in particular demonstrated the highest level of effectiveness in the urban school.

This study aims to develop a Critical Thinking-Independent Learning (CTIL) model to improve students' critical thinking skills that meet valid, practical, and effective criteria. This type of research was Research and Development (R&D), with a one-group pre-test and post-test design without a controlled class. The CTIL model was validated by three experts in the field of science education and then tested on 156 students in three public junior high schools in Surabaya, Indonesia. The results revealed that: (a) The CTIL model was valid based on the model validity score with an average of 3.73 (very good category) and the validity score of the learning materials with an average of 3.72 (very good category); (b) The practical CTIL model based on the averaged observations of the implementation of learning using the CTIL model was 3.88 (very good category); and (c) The CTIL model was effective based on four determining factors, namely: an increase in critical thinking skills, which was statistically significant at alpha .05; the calculated mean N-gain of .72 (high category), similar mean values for all test classes in all schools participated in this study; the effect size of 3.07 (strong category); and the average student response of 84% (very good category).

STEM education is an irreplaceable movement of educational systems across the globe in the 21st century. Both Pre-K, K-12, and higher education institutions consider STEM as an innovative approach to integrate and reform the teaching and learning processes. The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of studies on STEM in the Early Childhood Education context from 1992 to 2022. We investigated a dataset of 308 scholarly works from the Clarivate Web of Science database and figured a diversified collection of research focuses on topics such as children’s readiness, outcomes, teachers’ competency in designing and implementing STEM activities, and the role of computational thinking and robotics. The findings of this paper revealed the dominant contribution of researchers from the USA regarding research quantity and impact, as well as their collaborations with researchers from Western countries. In addition, we also figured out the top influencing authors, documents, and journals as a suggestion for scholars who are new to this topic. However, we would like to note that our findings depended on the quality of the imported database from the WoS system, which covers top-tier journals only.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of problem-based learning (PBL) within a teaching unit on the advancement of ethical reasoning and decision-making skills among Israeli female tertiary students. Employing a quasi-experimental design, 48 female students were distributed into three groups, with two serving as control groups receiving conventional curriculum-based instruction and one as an experimental group exposed to the PBL methodology. Both before and after implementation, all groups underwent assessments using a decision-making competency test and an ethical reasoning scale. The results unequivocally demonstrated the significant enhancement of decision-making abilities and ethical thinking through the implementation of the PBL strategy. Comparative analysis revealed substantial improvements in the experimental group compared to the control groups, emphasizing the efficacy of PBL in fostering comprehensive skill development. Furthermore, a positive correlation between ethical thinking and decision-making skills further reinforces the beneficial outcomes associated with PBL. These findings advocate for the widespread integration of PBL techniques across various academic disciplines.