PENGARUH MEDIA STEAMTROLLEY MAKER TERHADAP KEMAMPUAN BERPIKIR KRITIS ANAK USIA 5-6 TAHUN

Abstract

Critical thinking is an important skill to develop in early childhood through concrete,
exploratory, and problem-solving learning experiences. This study aimed to
examine the effect of STEAMtrolley Maker media on the critical-thinking skills of
children aged 5–6 years. The study used a quantitative pre-experimental method
with a one-group pretest–posttest design. Participants were 16 children aged 5–6
years (eight girls and eight boys) from one early-childhood education group. Data
were collected through performance tasks using child worksheets and observation,
based on six critical-thinking indicators adapted from Facione: interpretation,
analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation, and self-regulation. The intervention
consisted of four learning sessions using a portable trolley containing loose parts,
tools, and additional construction materials within STEAM activities. The mean
score increased from 10.06 at pretest to 19.06 at posttest. Normality tests indicated
that both scores were normally distributed (pretest p = .283; posttest p = .123), while
the paired-samples t-test showed a statistically significant difference (p < .001). The
normalized gain was categorized as moderate. These findings indicate that
STEAMtrolley Maker use was associated with improved critical-thinking scores
among the participating children. Because the study used a one-group design
without a control group, the findings should be interpreted within the limits of the
research design.