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Interactive Economics Worksheets Raise Students’ Critical Thinking, Indonesian Study Finds
A new study by Asimatul Konita and Retno Mustika Dewi from State University of Surabaya reports that interactive digital worksheets can help senior high school students strengthen critical thinking skills in economics. Published in 2026 in the International Journal of Integrative Sciences (IJIS), the research tested a digital worksheet model combining Liveworksheets technology with the Predict–Observe–Explain (POE) learning approach for inflation and deflation lessons. The findings matter because schools increasingly face pressure to prepare students for data-driven decision-making, analytical reasoning, and higher-order thinking in the digital era.
Why Economics Class Needs More Than Memorization
Critical thinking has become one of the most discussed educational priorities globally. Yet in many classrooms, economics instruction still depends heavily on printed worksheets and routine exercises that reward recall rather than analysis.
The researchers identified a practical classroom challenge at SMA Negeri 4 Sidoarjo: students often struggled to connect abstract economic concepts—especially inflation and deflation—to real-world situations. Traditional worksheets rarely included multimedia, dynamic graphs, interactive tasks, or contextual economic cases.
That gap became especially relevant in the context of Indonesia’s broader education landscape, where analytical reasoning and literacy remain national concerns. According to the study, economics education increasingly requires students to interpret data, evaluate trends, and understand how economic events influence everyday life.
To respond to this challenge, the researchers designed an interactive electronic worksheet (E-LKPD) intended to move students from passive learning toward active investigation.
Building a Digital Worksheet Around Prediction and Evidence
Rather than creating a standard digital handout, the researchers built the learning experience around the Predict–Observe–Explain (POE) model.
The digital worksheet was developed using the ADDIE instructional design framework:
- Analysis — identifying classroom problems and student needs
- Design — planning learning content and assessment
- Development — creating the digital worksheet and validating it with experts
- Implementation — testing it in class
- Evaluation — refining the product based on feedback
The worksheet was delivered through Liveworksheets and included multimedia elements such as videos, economic data, graphs, interactive questions, drag-and-drop activities, matching exercises, and written explanations.
The classroom trial involved 36 Grade XI students at SMA Negeri 4 Sidoarjo using a one-group pretest–posttest design. Students completed learning activities before and after using the digital worksheet to measure changes in critical thinking performance.
Students Improved After Interactive Learning
The strongest result of the study appeared in students’ learning outcomes after using the POE-based E-LKPD.
Researchers reported several key findings:
- Media feasibility score: 77% (categorized as feasible)
- Content validation score: 93% (categorized as highly feasible)
- Student response score: 86% (categorized as highly feasible)
- Average N-Gain score: 0.5384, indicating a moderate improvement in critical thinking skills
Student performance also shifted substantially.
Before implementation:
- Only 3 students reached the minimum competency standard.
After implementation:
- 31 students achieved the required performance level.
Statistical testing showed meaningful change as well. The Wilcoxon analysis indicated that 34 students improved, one declined slightly, and one remained unchanged, suggesting the intervention had a measurable educational effect.
What Happened Inside the Classroom
The learning process followed three structured stages.
During the Predict stage, students watched videos and examined rising rice price trends before making evidence-based predictions.
During Observe, students analyzed economic data from Indonesia’s statistics sources, interpreted graphs, and reviewed real economic events.
During Explain, students defended their conclusions through written and oral explanations while connecting evidence back to economic theory.
This sequence encouraged students to move beyond memorizing definitions and instead practice interpretation, reasoning, and argument building.
Implications for Schools and Education Policy
The findings suggest that digital learning tools become more powerful when paired with structured thinking processes rather than simply converting paper into screens.
For teachers, the research offers a practical model for making economics lessons more interactive and relevant.
For schools, the results reinforce the importance of investing in classroom technology and teacher readiness.
For policymakers, the study highlights that strengthening critical thinking may require curriculum implementation that combines digital infrastructure with instructional design—not only device availability.
The researchers also noted that future studies should involve larger student populations, additional subject areas, and comparisons with other teaching approaches to confirm broader effectiveness.
Research Insight
Asimatul Konita and Retno Mustika Dewi of State University of Surabaya conclude that interactive digital worksheets are most effective when students are required to predict outcomes, examine evidence, and justify conclusions. Their results indicate that combining multimedia learning with structured inquiry can make economics education more engaging and strengthen critical thinking development.
Author Profile
Asimatul Konita — Undergraduate researcher in Economics Education, State University of Surabaya. Research focus: digital learning media, economics education, and critical thinking development.
Retno Mustika Dewi — Lecturer and academic researcher at State University of Surabaya specializing in economics education, instructional design, and innovative learning methods.
Source
Journal: International Journal of Integrative Sciences (IJIS), Vol. 5 No. 2
Publication Year: 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/ijis.v5i5.33
URL : https://journalijis.my.id/index.php/ijis/index
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