ANALYSIS OF CRITICAL THINKING ABILITY OF JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NATURAL SCIENCES LEARNING ON LIFE ORGANIZATION SYSTEM MATERIALS

Critical thinking is included in the 21st-century skills that need to be developed, with critical thinking skills, students are required to use the ability to view a problem, and find solutions to take a mature and appropriate decision so critical thinking skills are important in learning. This study aims to determine the analysis of students' critical thinking skills on the material of life organization systems based on aspects of Ennis' thinking ability (2011). The type of research used is descriptive qualitative research. The subjects of this study were seventh-grade students of SMPN 27 Medan. Sampling in this study was carried out by random sampling with a sample of 53 students. Data collection techniques in the form of tests of students' critical thinking skills and interviews. The results showed that the student's critical thinking skills of SMPN 27 Medan were included in the sufficient category with an average score of 52. The achievement of the five aspects of students' critical thinking skills in a row from the highest to the lowest based on the average, namely aspects of managing strategies and tactics (x =65), gives a simple explanation (x =53), concludes (x =51), provides a further explanation (x =48), and builds basic skills (x =45). The factors that influence students' critical thinking abilities are student involvement in the learning process, learning methods, student intellectual development, student motivation in the learning process, and interaction between teachers and students.