Integrating Mindful Learning and Joyful Learning into Junior High School Students' Mathematical Critical Thinking and Communication
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33394/j-ps.v14i4.22301Keywords:
Joyful learning, Mathematical communication, Mathematical critical thinking, Mindful learning, StatisticsAbstract
Indonesian junior high school students' mathematical critical thinking and mathematical communication remain low, as indicated by PISA 2022 and several local studies on statistics material. This study examined the effect of integrating Mindful Learning and Joyful Learning, operationalized through a five-phase instructional syntax (Mindful Opening, Joyful Exploration, Mindful Processing, Joyful Communication, Mindful Closing), on both abilities among eighth-grade students. A quasi-experimental Nonequivalent Control Group Pretest-Posttest design was used, involving 64 students from SMP Negeri 1 Jabon, Sidoarjo, assigned to an experimental group (n = 32), taught by the researcher, and a control group (n = 32), taught by the school's mathematics teacher. Baseline equivalence was confirmed for both abilities (p > .05). The pretest instrument was piloted on 60 students and found valid and reliable (Cronbach's Alpha = 0.977); the posttest, an equivalent form, was expert-validated (Instrument Validity Index = 0.88). The experimental group showed significantly greater N-Gain than the control group for mathematical critical thinking (Mann-Whitney U, p < .001, r = .476) and mathematical communication (t(62) = 2.539, p = .014, Cohen's d = .635), with mean N-Gain of 0.356 and 0.339 (moderate category), compared with 0.133 and 0.198 in the control group (low category). A significant but weak positive correlation was found between the N-Gains of both abilities in the experimental group (Spearman's ρ = .373, p = .036), interpreted cautiously. Given the nonrandomized design, these results indicate a statistically significant improvement of moderate magnitude, with medium-to-large effect sizes; causal attribution is limited by the quasi-experimental design, including non-random assignment of intact classes and different teachers for the two groups.
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