Developing a Digital Storybook to Foster Fifth Grade Students’ Critical Thinking in the context of Teaching English for Young Learners

Ni Ketut Wira Putri Cahyani; Luh Putu Artini; I.G.A. Lokita Purnamika Utami

doi:10.55606/jupensi.v6i1.7096

Authors

Ni Ketut Wira Putri Cahyani Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha
Luh Putu Artini Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha
I.G.A. Lokita Purnamika Utami Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55606/jupensi.v6i1.7096

Keywords:

Critical Thinking, Digital Storybook, DnD, English, Young Learners

Abstract

This study was inspired by the challenge encountered by the English teachers in Primary Schools in teaching Critical Thinking to young learners while learning English Language Skills. The latest postulates the need for the teacher to be able to develop students’ ability to think critically. However, most teachers perceived that it is not easy to train students to think critically, mainly because the appropriate resources and learning materials are not easy to find. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to create a digital bilingual storybook that would support both learning to read English and developing students’ critical thinking abilities for Grade 5 students. A Design and Development (D&D) method was employed (analysis, design, development, and evaluation) and data were gathered through interviews, document analysis and expert evaluation. The project produced a product that has both text in two languages and visual elements as well as structured activities designed to encourage argumentation, make decisions and solve problems using before, during and after reading activities. The evaluation of two experienced English Teachers indicated that the product was a very high quality learning resource with scores of 4.97 and 5.0 respectively meaning the product is likely to be a successful and motivating medium to develop students’ English Language proficiency and critical thinking skills. However, due to the lack of access to Digital Resources such as internet connectivity, the implementation of this resource may be limited.

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