Keywords:
elementary learner
inquiry
problem-solving
argumentation
collaboration
pedagogy

  • Abstract

    Critical thinking skills are one of the important life skills in the 21st century to be trained in students. Therefore, educators are encouraged to develop critical thinking-oriented learning models. However, up to this point, there is no comprehensive description of how critical thinking-oriented learning models are appropriate to the developmental stages of students at the elementary school level. This systematic literature review, based on 11 selected main articles, aims to map and analyze the development of learning models in elementary schools oriented toward the development of critical thinking skills. The thematic analysis of the selected articles focuses on four main aspects: (1) geographic area distribution; (2) research methods; (3) research subjects; and (4) the development of learning models in elementary schools that are oriented toward critical thinking skills. The literature review found that inquiry-based learning, problem-based learning, and argument-based learning were the most effective models for developing critical thinking skills. This literature review also identified gaps in research, including a lack of studies on the long-term effects of this learning model on the development of critical thinking skills. Further research is needed for a comparison of related topics in rural and urban primary schools.

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Fitriadi, F., Herpratiwi, H., Yulianti, D., Setiyadi, A. B., Hariri, H., Sunyono, S., Haenilah, E. Y., & Mukhlis, H. (2024). Enhancing critical thinking in elementary education: A systematic review of effective learning models. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 8(6), 2025157. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2025157
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