Riska Septia Wahyuningtyas, W. Wuryadi
This research aimed to determine (1) the influence of the use of a contextual teaching and learning (CTL) approach on critical thinking ability, (2) the influence of the use of the CTL approach on conceptual understanding, and (3) the relationship between critical thinking ability and conceptual understanding. The research adopted a quasi-experimental approach using a pre-test/post-test control group design. The population in this research comprised all grade XI pupils in State Senior High School 1 Prambanan consisting of eight classes. Two classes were selected based on the random cluster sampling technique: XI MIPA 1 as the control class and XI MIPA 4 as the experimental class. The experimental class used the CTL approach and the control class used a non-CTL approach. The instruments were an observation sheet for the implementation of CTL, and a paper test of critical thinking ability and conceptual understanding. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and Pearson correlation. The results showed (1) that CTL had a positive influence on critical thinking ability, (2) CTL had a positive influence on conceptual understanding, and (3) there was a high correlation between critical thinking ability and conceptual understanding, such that the better the critical thinking ability, the higher the conceptual understanding. © 2018 Author(s).
State University of Yogyakarta, Sleman, Yogyakarta, 55281, Indonesia; Department of Biology Education, State University of Yogyakarta, Sleman, Yogyakarta, 55281, Indonesia
