DEVELOPMENT OF A STEM-BASED BLOG LEARNING MEDIA ON THE HUMAN DIGESTIVE SYSTEM TO ENHANCE STUDENTS’ CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS AND COMMUNICATION ABILITY IN SECONDARY EDUCATION

Abstract

This study aims to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a STEM-based blog learning media on the human digestive system to address the low communication skills and critical thinking abilities of junior high school students. The research employed a Research and Development (R&D) approach using the ADDIE model, consisting of analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation stages. The participants were 60 eighth-grade students from SMP Islam Nurul I’itishom Bekasi, divided into an experimental group and a control group. Data were collected using expert validation sheets, student response questionnaires, and tests of communication skills and critical thinking. The validation results indicated that the developed blog was feasible, with material and media validation scores of 85% and 80%, respectively. The implementation results showed that students in the experimental group achieved a moderate improvement in communication skills (N-Gain = 0.48) and critical thinking skills (N-Gain = 0.63), while the control group showed low improvement. Student responses toward the STEM-based blog were categorized as good. These findings indicate that the STEM-based blog is effective in enhancing students’ communication skills and critical thinking abilities compared to conventional learning.