Challenges and Opportunities for Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Teachers in Fostering Students' Critical Thinking

Abstract

This abstract presents the findings of a literature review concerning the dynamics of implementing and developing critical thinking skills (CTS) at the Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI) level, focusing on the central role of the teacher. The main objective of this study is to systematically identify the pedagogical, institutional, and professional challenges, and analyze the strategic opportunities available to MI teachers in facilitating students' CTS. The analysis indicates that significant challenges include (1) Teacher Metacognitive Skill Deficits: Limitations of teachers in internalizing and modeling critical thinking processes; (2) Curriculum Prescriptiveness: The demand for dense material completion inhibits the adoption of inquiry methods and reflective discussion; and (3) Institutional Conditions: Limited access to digital resources and specialized CTS training. Nevertheless, the study identifies essential opportunities, namely (1) Potential for Material Contextualization: The flexibility of religious and general subjects to be linked to contemporary issues requiring reasoning, and (2) Philosophical Support from Islamic Education: Islamic values that encourage reasoning (ijtihad) and wise decision-making (hikmah). This study concludes that a collective effort through the restructuring of professional development programs focused on Issue-Based Reflective Pedagogy is crucial to transform MI from a center of knowledge transmission into a hub for critical intellectual development.