ICT-Based Crosswords to Improve Elementary SchoolStudents’ Critical Thinking Skills

Abstract

Many students in Elementary Schools oftenfind difficulties and even give up to do the test. It means there are things to be improved in learning process in the class. Moreover, they are faced with the challenges of 21 st century learning that emphasize students' critical thinking skills and the use of ICT. Theskills require teacher's interventionby applying ICT-based CrosswordPuzzle media.This study aims to describe the importance of ICT-based Crossword Puzzle media to improve students' critical thinking skills. This research method was qualitative descriptive. The subjects were 48 students of the 4 th grade and 4 teachers from two Elementary Schools in Wonogiri Regency. The data were obtained from observations, questionnaires, interviews, and qualitative data analysis. The results show that the current learning has not been innovative. Crossword Puzzleis needed in accordance with the development of science and technology. It is also a fun game, stimulating students to solve problems. The accuracy in answering questions in it can strengthen the students' critical thinking skills. Therefore, the development of ICT-based Crossword Puzzle is needed to improve critical thinking skills in Elementary Schools to face the challenges of 21 st century education.