Application Of the Predict-Observe-Explain (POE) Model to Improve Students’ Critical Thinking Skills in The Stoichiometry Unit For 10th Grade Students

Abstract

Critical thinking skills are among the most important skills to be developed in chemistry education; however, in reality, students' proficiency in this area remains relatively low in stoichiometry. This study aims to describe the improvement in students' critical thinking skills following the implementation of a deep learning approach based on the POE (predict–observe–explain) model. This study is a quasi-experimental study with a pretest–posttest design. The study population included all tenth-grade students taught by the same teacher, with the sample consisting of two classes—an experimental class and a control class—each comprising 36 students (72 students in total). The experimental class received instruction based on the deep learning approach and the POE model, while the control class received instruction using the deep learning approach without the POE model. Data were collected through critical thinking ability tests administered at the beginning and end of the instruction period. The results showed that the experimental class's average pretest score of 33.75 increased to 84.72 on the posttest, while the control class's score increased from 33.47 to 77.36. The improvement in critical thinking skills in the experimental class fell into the high category with an N-gain of 0.77, whereas the control class fell into the moderate category with an N-gain of 0.66. This proves that learning using a deep learning approach based on the POE model is effective in improving students' critical thinking skills in stoichiometry.