Instructional Innovation as a Strategy for Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills among Muhammadiyah Elementary School Students

Abstract

This study investigates instructional innovation as a strategic approach for enhancing critical thinking skills among Muhammadiyah elementary school students. The study focuses on Islamic Religious Education learning at Muhammadiyah Perumnas Elementary School, where teaching innovation is not only directed toward improving students’ cognitive reasoning but also toward integrating Islamic values into reflective and ethical learning practices. Using a qualitative descriptive case study design, data were collected through classroom observation, interviews with the principal, Islamic Religious Education teachers, and fourth-grade students, as well as documentation of learning activities. The findings show that instructional innovation was implemented through contextual religious content, communicative teaching, open-ended questioning, group discussion, reflective dialogue, visual media, and practice-based learning. These strategies encouraged students to ask questions, analyze moral problems, connect Islamic teachings with everyday situations, and express value-based arguments. The study also found that students’ critical thinking developed progressively through the integration of cognitive, affective, moral, and spiritual dimensions. Supporting factors included teacher readiness, school culture, curriculum flexibility, and the Islamic environment of Muhammadiyah education, while challenges included limited time, diverse student abilities, and the need for more varied instructional media. The study concludes that instructional innovation is a relevant and effective strategy for strengthening critical thinking skills among Muhammadiyah elementary school students when it is implemented contextually, dialogically, and consistently within Islamic value-based education