Audio-Visual Media in Differentiated Economics Instruction: Effects on Students' Critical and Creative Thinking
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Abstract
Developing higher-order thinking through equitable learning design remains a challenge in secondary economics education. This quasi-experimental study tested whether audio-visual media embedded in differentiated instruction improved critical and creative thinking among eleventh-grade students at State Islamic Senior High School (Madrasah Aliyah Negeri [MAN]) 3 Mataram, Indonesia. Two intact classes (N = 60) participated in a non-equivalent pretest-posttest control-group design. The experimental class received six 90-minute sessions integrating video, animation, infographics, economic cases, flexible learning processes, and product choice; the control class received conventional instruction. Critical-thinking essays and a creative poster project were scored using validated rubrics. MANCOVA, controlling for both pretests, showed a significant multivariate instructional effect, Pillai's Trace = .400, F(2, 55) = 18.303, p < .001, partial eta squared = .400. Univariate effects favored the experimental group for critical thinking, F(1, 56) = 5.662, p = .021, partial eta squared = .092, and creative thinking, F(1, 56) = 32.118, p < .001, partial eta squared = .364. The findings indicate that accessible multimodal resources coupled with differentiated learning pathways can strengthen higher-order thinking, particularly creative problem solving in unemployment-related economic cases.
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Author Biographies
Muhammad Irsan
Master's Program in Pedagogy
Husamah
Master's Program in Pedagogy,
Arina Restian
Master's Program in Pedagogy
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Copyright (c) 2026 Muhammad Irsan, Husamah, Arina Restian
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2026-06-28
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