Improving Students’ Higher Order-thinking Skills Through Problem-based Learning in Introduction to Microeconomics Course
Abstract
Student achievements and learning outcomes are not just about grades but also their skills and ability to think critically in solving various problems individually, cooperatively, and creatively. These are known as higher-order thinking skills. Higher-order thinking skills should be an integral part of teaching and learning curriculum at the higher education level. One of the learning model that can improve students’ higher-order thinking skills is problem-based learning (PBL). PBL is a learning model that presents a variety of authentic and meaningful problematic situations for students, which can be used to conduct research and investigations. This study aims to analyze the improvement of students’ higher-order thinking skills through the implementation of PBL in introduction to microeconomics course at the Faculty of Economics, Universitas Negeri Padang. This study uses a classroom action research approach. Data were analyzed by quantitative and qualitative analysis. The results of this study show that PBL is effective in improving students’ higher-order thinking skills. Based on the results, it is suggested that the instructional design developed should facilitate students to develop their higher-order thinking skills and encourage them to construct their own knowledge by using PBL or other relevant learning models.
Keywords: higher-order thinking skills, problem-based learning, microeconomics course
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