The Impact of Digital Learning Tools on Students’ Critical Thinking Development

Jumaidi Nur

doi:10.55927/ajae.v4i4.15615

Authors

Jumaidi Nur Universitas Kutai Kartanegara

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55927/ajae.v4i4.15615

Keywords:

Impact, Digital Learning Tools, Students, Critical Thinking, Development

Abstract

The development of educational technology has brought significant changes in the learning process, especially in encouraging critical thinking skills as one of the main competencies of the 21st century. This study aims to analyze the influence of the use of digital learning tools on the development of critical thinking skills of high school students in Kutai Kartanegara Regency, East Kalimantan. This study uses a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design involving 60 students in grade XI who are divided into two groups, namely the experimental group that learns using digital learning tools and the control group that learns using conventional methods. Data were collected through critical thinking skills tests before and after treatment (pre-test and post-test) and analyzed using a paired sample t-test to identify significant differences between groups. The results of the study show that the use of digital learning tools has a positive and significant effect on improving students' critical thinking skills. Interactive digital media has been proven to be effective in improving students' analytical skills, evaluation, and reflective reasoning during the learning process. This study concludes that the integration of digital technology in teaching and learning activities can strengthen the quality of learning while developing students' critical thinking skills. These findings provide practical implications for educators and curriculum developers in designing innovative technology-based learning strategies that align with the demands of modern education.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Al-Saadi, H., & Hussain, R. (2024). Teachers’ digital readiness and pedagogical transformation in post-pandemic education. Journal of Educational Technology Research, 29(2), 115–128.

Anderson, T. (2021). Digital pedagogy and learning innovation: Rethinking education in the 21st century. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 22(4), 1–14.

Chen, L., & Zhang, Y. (2024). Enhancing student engagement through multimedia-based learning environments. Computers & Education, 205, 104778.

Chandra, S., Nguyen, M., & Patel, J. (2023). Revisiting digital education: Impact of technology on cognitive and critical thinking skills. Education and Information Technologies, 28(5), 5412–5428.

Cohen, J., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2020). Research methods in education (8th ed.). Routledge.

Creswell, J. W., & Guetterman, T. C. (2021). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (6th ed.). Pearson.

Facione, P. A. (2020). Critical thinking: What it is and why it counts. Insight Assessment.

Field, A. (2021). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics (6th ed.). Sage Publications.

Fischer, G., & Kumar, S. (2022). Digital learning ecosystems: Tools, collaboration, and critical engagement. Journal of Learning Analytics, 9(1), 33–49.

Fraenkel, J. R., Wallen, N. E., & Hyun, H. H. (2022). How to design and evaluate research in education (10th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

Garcia, M., & Thomas, E. (2022). Digital inquiry and the development of students’ critical thinking skills. Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 12(3), 87–99.

Gonzalez, R., & Rahardjo, A. (2022). Critical thinking and decision-making in 21st-century education. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 42(2), 233–249.

Hernandez, J., Lopez, F., & Rivera, C. (2024). Barriers to digital learning adoption in secondary education: A global perspective. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 11, 100295.

Hidayat, R., Puspitasari, A., & Nur, A. (2021). Implementation of digital learning systems in Indonesian secondary schools: Challenges and opportunities. Journal of Educational Technology and Society, 24(3), 157–168.

Johnson, L., & Becker, S. (2021). Transforming education through digital innovation. The International Journal of Educational Technology, 15(4), 201–215.

Kim, H., & Lee, D. (2023). Digital transformation in education: Enhancing student-centered learning through technology integration. Educational Media International, 60(1), 45–62.

Klein, B., Rogers, T., & Ahmed, N. (2021). Technology integration and critical thinking outcomes: A comparative study. Journal of Interactive Learning Environments, 29(6), 875–889.

Kline, R. B. (2021). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (5th ed.). Guilford Press.

Laurent, J., & Purnomo, B. (2022). Digital literacy and cognitive engagement among Indonesian high school students. Journal of Educational Innovation and Research, 8(2), 112–125.

Lee, M., & Harrington, P. (2021). The effect of interactive digital media on student engagement and learning outcomes. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 59(4), 789–808.

Mendez, P., & Roberts, D. (2020). Interactive learning and motivation in digital classrooms. International Journal of Educational Research, 103, 101601.

Miller, A., Jones, T., & Davis, L. (2020). Digital pedagogy for engagement: Strategies for active online learning. Computers & Education, 152, 103872.

Nguyen, T., & Park, S. (2021). Longitudinal analysis of digital learning and cognitive development in secondary education. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 37(6), 1593–1608.

O’Neill, C., & Carter, J. (2022). Human factors in digital education: Teacher readiness and technology integration. Education and Information Technologies, 27(3), 3327–3345.

Oliveira, R., & Gomez, F. (2023). Metacognitive engagement through technology-enhanced learning environments. Learning and Instruction, 85, 101715.

Patel, V., & Wong, S. (2023). Problem-based learning and digital technology integration: Impacts on critical thinking development. Computers in Education Journal, 30(1), 55–72.

Rahimi, A., Zheng, X., & Li, M. (2022). The impact of interactive digital simulations on metacognitive development in learners. British Journal of Educational Technology, 53(5), 1074–1088.

Rivera, D., & Chen, Y. (2020). Digital constructivism: Rethinking knowledge building in virtual learning environments. Journal of Educational Technology and Society, 23(2), 144–158.

Rodriguez, P., Tan, J., & Salim, N. (2023). Digital literacy disparities and the challenge of equitable technology adoption in schools. Computers & Education Open, 4, 100085.

Siemens, G. (2020). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 17(1), 10–20.

Sutanto, A., & Kimura, H. (2021). Experimental design approaches in digital learning impact research. Educational Technology and Research Development, 69(5), 2423–2440.

Yilmaz, R., & Keser, H. (2023). Digital learning and reflective thinking: Implications for critical thinking development. Interactive Learning Environments, 31(7), 1025–1040.