Developing a Reflective Teacher Guidebook for Deep Learning Pedagogy to Foster Critical Thinking in Children Aged 5–6 Years

Abstract

Early childhood students’ critical thinking skills are greatly influenced by teachers’ ability to design learning experiences that explore children’s cognitive development and reflect on children’s responses during the learning process. This study developed and evaluated a reflective teacher guidebook that integrates Indonesia's deep learning pedagogy with structured reflective practice for teachers of children aged 5–6 years. Using the 4D development sequence, the study involved three expert validators, three teachers in a readability test, four teachers in a limited trial, 14 teachers in a field practicality trial, and 15 and 60 children in limited and field pretest and posttest trials. Content and media validation reached 89.7% and 98.3%, with a mean Aiken's V of 0.85. Practicality reached 91.7% and 93.3%, although the field practicality questionnaire showed low internal consistency (α = 0.461) and is therefore interpreted descriptively. Children's critical thinking scores increased significantly in both trials (Z = −3.623 and −7.270; p < .001), with medium normalized gains (0.593 and 0.664) and large effect sizes (r = 0.935 and 0.939). The guidebook offers teachers a practical structure for linking reflection, inquiry-oriented planning, and evidence of children's thinking; however, the absence of a comparison group means that causal effectiveness should be tested in controlled multi-site research.