Enhancing critical thinking and problem-solving skills in upper elementary students through game-based learning

Introduction. The acquisition of knowledge by students to more actively develop their minds through challenging activities in the form of contextual problem analysis and academically oriented training in thinking skills is still lacking. Solving an inappropriate problem can trigger students' reluctance to try to solve the problems presented because the problem presented will be an early "gateway" as a stimulus that can subsequently stimulate students' thinking, so the skill of the teacher in "packaging" a problem as interesting as possible may be one of the determining factors in the success of the application of the learning model. Study participant and methods. This study included approximately 600 middle school students (grades four through six) in Indonesia, situated in a township with a median family income of IDR72,000,000/year and a median household income of IDR48,000,000/year, where 9.3% lived in poverty. The ethnically diverse composition featured 40.22% Javanese. The chosen school lacked academic tracking in social studies classes for grades 4-6 and had a willing teacher for Game-Based Learning (GBL) interventions. Using a quasi-experimental design, three GBL intervention classes (62 pupils) were randomly selected from five sections taught by the participating teacher, while seven classes (115 students) received conventional instruction. The study aimed to evaluate GBL's impact on social studies education, employing Denah Education Game (DENDA) with specific objectives for territories. The results. The findings indicate that students in the Game-Based Learning (GBL) group had a slightly higher average post-test score (M = 3.66) compared to conventional students (M = 3.60). Similarly, the average score of GBL students on the delayed post-test (M = 2.11) was slightly higher than the score of conventional students (M = 2.00). However, both the post-test (F(1,96) =0.07, p >0.05) and delayed post-test (F(1,91) =0.45, p >0.05) did not show a consistent effect, according to these results. The study indicates that the Game-Based Learning (GBL) intervention successfully enhances students' understanding with slightly higher post-test and delayed post-test scores compared to traditional teaching methods. The findings emphasize the importance of student discourse in game-based scenarios, with higher-level conversations predominantly observed in intra- and inter-group discussions. Despite fluctuations in intellectual activities, student engagement and critical thinking remain high. However, challenges in addressing gender differences and implementing GBL in conventional classroom settings need further research and development focus. Conclusion. The study supports integrating Game-Based Learning (GBL) into conventional classrooms, noting no significant differences from traditional teaching. However, caution is advised due to implementation challenges. Gender differences underscore the need for further exploration of GBL effectiveness across genders and grade levels. Positive impacts on critical thinking are seen through student-centered learning and authentic problem-solving scenarios. GBL aligns with best teaching practices, emphasizing engagement and student-driven learning. While acknowledging limitations, the research calls for ongoing exploration of GBL's potential in fostering critical thinking and aligning it with traditional educational principles for maximum effectiveness in diverse classrooms.