Enhancing Students’ Critical Thinking Ability in Mathematics by Through IMPROVE Method

Abstract

This study aims to figure out the students’ enhancement of critical thinking ability in mathematics by using IMPROVE and conventional methods. It is a quasi experiment and the population is the students of two junior high schools (JHC) with intermediate level of knowledge in Bandar Lampung City. The samples are two student groups at Grade VIII taken from two grades of each JHC randomly. The instrument employed in this study is a test in mathematical critical thinking ability. Data analyses operate T-test and two-way ANOVA. The results show that the students’ mathematical critical thinking ability under IMPROVE method are better than students under conventional one. In the IMPROVE method, group students at upper level possess more better accretion of mathematical critical thinking ability than students at middle and low levels. On the other hand, the proliferation of mathematical critical thinking ability possessed by students at lower level is better than students at middle level. It is found that there is a difference of critical thinking ability augmentation between upper level, middle level, and lower level of students under IMPROVE method. There is an interaction between learning factor and student’s competence category toward of their mathematical critical thinking.

Keywords: mathematical critical thinking ability and IMPROVE method