The Connection between Students' Retention and Critical Thinking Skills in Diverse Academic Skills in Biology Learning

Abstract

This research aims to investigate the connection between students’ retention and critical thinking skills in diverse academic skills in biology learning. The research samples were 202 tenth-grade students in the second semester who learned biology. A class equivalence test determined four high and four low academic skills classes. An essay test was employed in this study to examine retention and critical thinking skills. The study indicates a significant connection between students’ retention and critical thinking skills in various academic skills in high school biology learning. High academic skills have a lower contribution of critical thinking skills to retention than low academic skills. Students’ less serious learning attitudes and practices give a low contribution of critical thinking skills to retention in high academic skills. The regression equation lines between students’ retention and critical thinking skills in diverse academic skills are not parallel and do not coincide. The regression equation line for low academic skills seems steeper than that for high ones. It means that students’ retention improvement rate due to the influence of critical thinking skills in high academic skills is lower than in low academic skills.