The effects of realistic mathematics education and direct instruction on students’ mathematical critical thinking abilities: Considering levels of mathematical resilience

Abstract

Indonesian elementary school students’ mathematical critical thinking abilities (MCTA) remain suboptimal, highlighting the need for more effective instructional approaches. However, limited evidence has compared the effectiveness of Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) and Direct Instruction (DI) while considering students’ mathematical resilience (MR). This study aimed to examine the effects of RME and DI on students’ MCTA while considering their MR levels. A quantitative quasi-experimental design was employed with 34 fifth-grade students from an elementary school in Padalarang Village, Indonesia. The intervention consisted of three 70-minute instructional sessions. Data were collected using an MCTA test and an MR questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Students in both groups showed significant improvements in MCTA. Although the RME group achieved slightly higher MCTA acquisition than the DI group, the difference was not statistically significant. However, RME produced significantly greater MCTA improvement than DI. Students with different MR levels showed significant differences in both MCTA acquisition and improvement, and MR had a significant positive effect on MCTA. No significant interaction effect was found between the learning approach (RME and DI) and MR. Overall, both RME and DI effectively improved students’ MCTA, with RME yielding greater improvement regardless of students’ MR levels.