Enhancing Students’ Critical Thinking Skills through IMOREAR: An AR-Based Renewable Energy Module

Lina Aviyanti, Nuzulira Janeusse Fratiwi, Abdul Salam, Silmi Fitriani, Khairunnisah Khairunnisah, Abu Nawas

Abstract


Critical thinking skills are essential competencies in renewable energy learning, requiring evidence-based analysis, evaluation, and informed decision-making. This study aimed to enhance students’ critical thinking skills through an Interactive E-Module on Renewable Energy Using Augmented Reality (IMOREAR). The study employed a pre-experimental one-group pretest–posttest design involving 30 high school students (12 male and 18 female students aged 15–16 years) in Garut, West Java. The intervention was conducted over four meetings using project-based learning supported by AR-based visualization and renewable energy prototyping activities. The research instrument consisted of 15 contextual multiple-choice items developed based on domain-specific critical thinking indicators. Data was analyzed using Rasch modeling to estimate students’ ability measures in logits. The results indicated a significant improvement (p < 0.001), with the average logit score increasing from -1.20 to 0.46 and an effect size of 1.64 (large). These findings suggest that IMOREAR enhances students’ critical thinking skills, underscoring its value in fostering 21st-century skills.

Keywords: augmented reality, renewable energy, critical thinking skills, project-based learning, Rasch analysis

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24014/jnsi.v9i1.39209

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