The impact of contextual problem-based materials on students’ disaster mitigation concept mastery and critical thinking

Abstract

This study aims to enhance students’ disaster mitigation concept mastery and critical thinking through problem-based contextual teaching materials. The research employed a quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design. Participants consisted of thirty undergraduate students randomly selected from the student population at Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha using simple random sampling techniques. The instruments used included a Critical Thinking Skills test and a Concept Mastery test, which underwent reliability testing. Data analysis was conducted descriptively and further examined using the Wilcoxon test at a significance level of 0.05 to determine the significance of differences before and after the intervention. The research findings indicate that: (1) Critical thinking skills (p < 0.05, <g> = 50%) showed improvement and were categorized as medium; (2) students’ disaster mitigation concept mastery (p < 0.05, <g> = 40%) also showed improvement and was categorized as medium; (3) the Wilcoxon test analysis revealed a significant difference before and after the intervention (p < 0.05); (4) student responses to the teaching materials indicated a positive response. In conclusion, contextual problem-based disaster mitigation teaching materials can enhance students’ disaster mitigation concept mastery and critical thinking. The practical implications of this study recommend integrating contextual problem-based materials into school curricula to enhance disaster preparedness.