The Effectiveness of Canva-Based Interactive Learning Media on the Critical Thinking Skills of Elementary School Students

Abstract

This study aimed to develop and test the effectiveness of Canva-based interactive learning media in enhancing critical thinking skills of third-grade students. Employing a Research and Development (R&D) method with the ADDIE model, the research was conducted at SDN Karangsono 01 Jember, involving 22 third-grade students as test subjects. The needs analysis revealed that conventional teaching methods and limited media resulted in suboptimal critical thinking skills among students. The media was developed through design and development phases, receiving a "Very Feasible" validation from material experts (average 4.54) and "Good" from media experts (average 3.62), as well as "Very Good" from teacher responses (average 4.53). Effectiveness testing demonstrated a significant improvement in students' critical thinking skills, with the mean pretest score of 64.27 increasing to 87.50 in the posttest, and a Paired Sample t-test showing an increase of 23.23 points (p < 0.001). This study extends the understanding of how relevant, visual, and interactive instructional design can significantly facilitate the development of critical thinking skills in elementary students through the use of accessible digital platforms. Therefore, Canva-based interactive learning media is effective for improving critical thinking skills in third-grade students. Practically, these findings suggest that elementary school teachers can independently utilize the Canva platform to design contextual and communicative interactive learning media to stimulate students' higher-order thinking skills from an early age.