Pisa-Type Assessment In Developing Critical Thinking Skills In Araling Panlipunan 7 In Bauan National And Vocational Integrated High School Sy 2025-2026

Abstract

Despite national mandates to promote higher-order thinking, Filipino students lag in international assessments like PISA, indicating a critical gap in analytical and evaluative capacities. This study addressed the urgent need to enhance assessment practices in Araling Panlipunan (Social Studies) to foster critical thinking, foundational for active citizenship and lifelong learning. The primary aim was to design and implement a PISA-type assessment to systematically examine its effectiveness in developing students' critical thinking skills (analysis, evaluation, and problem-solving) and to develop enhanced learning activities.

A descriptive quantitative, pre-test–posttest design was employed with 30 Grade 7 students. Data were collected using a validated 30-item PISA-type multiple-choice test and a survey. The intervention integrated PISA-type tasks into instruction. A paired sample t-test determined the statistical difference between pre-test and post-test scores.

The result reveled that students perceived the PISA-type assessments as highly engaging and relevant (Strongly Agree composite means: 3.67 for real-life scenarios, 3.71 for information processing). Pre test results showed 57% of students were "Proficient Critical Thinkers." Post-test results showed a significant gain, with 60% advancing to "Advanced Critical Thinkers." The t-test confirmed a statistically significant difference (t=19.3346, p=0.00001), leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. Challenges encountered were the need for more time to analyze and answer (WM: 3.74) and difficulty applying prior knowledge (WM: 3.71).

The study conclusively demonstrates that PISA-type assessments significantly enhanced critical thinking skills. The results affirm that integrating performance-based and problem-solving activities is superior to memorization for improving higher-order thinking, as students were able to analyze information, use evidence, and make logical decisions. Overall, PISA-type assessments successfully connected Araling Panlipunan concepts to real-life situations, making learning more meaningful and applicable.