Implementation of PjBL learning model combined with genetics project guidebook II to improve biology students' critical thinking skills.

Critical thinking is an intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualising, applying, analysing, synthesising, and evaluating information generated through observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication as a guide for action. Critical thinking allows individuals to solve and observe problems from different perspectives. In the Genetics II course, students must actively find the main concepts of the material through observation, experimentation, making pictures, graphs, and tables, and communicating the results to others. This process is closely related to critical thinking skills. Therefore, applying the PjBL learning model combined with the project guidebook can empower critical thinking in the Genetics II course. This study aims to determine the effect of applying the PjBL learning model combined with the project guidebook on the critical thinking skills of Biology students of the State University of Malang. The research used a pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group design involving 52 students taking the Genetics II course from April-Mei. Data on critical thinking skills were collected using eight essay questions. ANCOVA analysis was performed at a significance level of 0.5% to test the hypothesis. The results of data analysis obtained a significance value of 0.000, which means that there is an effect of the application of the PjBL learning model combined with the project guidebook on the critical thinking skills of biology students. The results showed a significant difference in students' critical thinking skills between learning that started with PjBL combined with a guidebook and PjBL only. Furthermore, the experimental class reached the highest corrected average (PjBL+guidebook), 73.423, while the control class had a corrected average of 65.053. The presence of the project guidebook is intended to support the interaction process between students, lecturers, and lecturer assistants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]