Comparing Project-Based Learning Assisted by Canva and Teaching ‎Aids on Elementary Students' Critical Thinking Skills

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the effects of Canva-assisted and teaching-aid-assisted Project-Based Learning (PjBL) on the critical thinking skills of fifth-grade students in Science and Social Studies (IPAS) at SD Negeri 1 Mojowetan, Blora Regency, Indonesia. A quantitative quasi-experimental design with a nonequivalent control group was employed involving 36 students, with 18 students assigned to the Canva-assisted PjBL group and 18 to the teaching-aid-assisted PjBL group. Critical thinking skills were measured using validated essay tests administered before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired-samples t tests, and two-way ANOVA with IBM SPSS Statistics 26. The results showed that both instructional approaches significantly improved students’ critical thinking skills. The Canva-assisted PjBL group demonstrated a mean gain of 39.11 points, while the teaching-aid-assisted PjBL group improved by 34.72 points. The Canva-assisted group also achieved a higher posttest mean score (84.11) than the teaching-aid-assisted group (79.39), with a statistically significant between-group difference (F = 9.784, p < .001). These findings indicate that the integration of Canva within PjBL was associated with greater critical-thinking gains than PjBL supported by conventional teaching aids in this sample. However, because the study involved a small sample from a single school and did not isolate the independent effect of Canva, the findings should be generalized cautiously. Future research should use larger multisite samples and report standardized effect sizes and confidence intervals to strengthen the interpretation of educational significance.