SOCIALIZATION OF HOW TO IMPROVE CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS OF STUDENTS AT SMA N 3 PADANG PANJANG

Abstract

Critical thinking skills are essential competencies for 21st-century students to face academic and real-life challenges. However, preliminary observations at SMA Negeri 3 Padang Panjang revealed that students still experience difficulties in analyzing problems, presenting logical arguments, and evaluating information. This situation requires systematic efforts to enhance students’ critical thinking skills through community service activities. This activity aimed to improve students’ critical thinking skills through participatory and Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)-based socialization. The methods included needs analysis, planning socialization materials, conducting interactive socialization involving discussions and simple case studies, and evaluating the outcomes through pre-test, post-test, questionnaires, and observation of student engagement. The results showed an improvement in students’ critical thinking skills, with the average pre-test score of 60.8 increasing to 77.2 on the post-test, and student engagement during the activity ranged from active to highly active, with an average of 76.4%. These findings indicate that interactive and contextual socialization is effective in enhancing students’ critical thinking skills and supports teachers in implementing HOTS-based learning strategies. This activity provides practical contributions to fostering a culture of critical thinking in schools, bridging the gap between curriculum demands and classroom practices, and offering a replicable model for other schools with similar characteristics.