The Analysis of Creative and Critical Thinking Abilities of Future Teachers on Analytical Chemistry Laboratory Activity
Abstract
The ability to think creatively and critically is considered the main cognitive competency. This study aimed to measure the thinking ability of students (n = 33) who participated in a laboratory activity in analytical chemistry. Case study methods were used to collect qualitative data, which supports quantitative data. The student’s creative and critical thinking abilities are measured by correlating the test result with their observations and responses. The results show that the student’s creative and critical thinking abilities are qualified as sufficient. An average of 46.96% of the students could provide correct answers, with the highest percentage on mixture separation tasks (72.7%). The students also showed creative and critical thinking abilities in creating and defining the result after consideration, resolving problems, providing answers with sound reasoning, observing, creating combinations and objects, and detailed ideas regarding the task indicators. The students could also define terms, analyze questions, and adapt their approaches to resolve tasks. The abilities of some students to identify problems from several points of view are still considered low, and they need to be able to identify issues based on given pictures and assess topics from different perspectives. The laboratory activity should create more indicators to think critically and creatively about every aspect.
Keywords: creative thinking, critical thinking, abilities of future teachers, analytical chemistry, laboratory activity
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