A Study on Critical Thinking and Media Literacy Skills through Problem-Based Learning Integrated with Social Media in Social Studies Instruction for Grade 9 Students

Abstract

Background and Aims: In the digital era, critical thinking and media literacy skills are essential for effective learning in social studies. This study aimed to: 1) examine critical thinking skills, 2) evaluate media literacy skills, and 3) assess student satisfaction among Grade 9 students at Kham Kaen Nakhon School during the first semester of the 2025 academic year regarding Problem-Based Learning (PBL) integrated with social media.

Methodology: A One-Shot Case Study experimental design was employed. The sample consisted of 30 Grade 9/6 students at Kham Kaen Nakhon School selected through purposive sampling. The intervention comprised 6 lesson plans (totaling 12 instructional hours) under Unit 3, "Natural Disasters in North and South America". The research instruments included: 1) 6 PBL lesson plans evaluated for appropriateness by experts,   2) a 20-item multiple-choice Critical Thinking Skill Test with an Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) index ranging from 0.67 to 1.00, difficulty indices (p) from 0.25 to 0.79, discrimination indices ($r$) from 0.23 to 0.64, and a reliability coefficient of 0.91, 3) a 20-item multiple-choice Media Literacy Skill Test with an IOC ranging from 0.67 to 1.00, difficulty indices (p) from 0.25 to 0.79, discrimination indices ($r$) from 0.23 to 0.64, and a reliability coefficient of 0.91, and 4) a 20-item Satisfaction Questionnaire measured on a 5-point Likert scale with an IOC ranging from 0.67 to 1.00 and a Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of 0.94. Data analysis involved comparing the number and percentage of students achieving the criterion (70% benchmark score) for critical thinking and media literacy skills, whereas student satisfaction was analyzed using mean () and standard deviation (S.D.). 

Results: The findings reveal that most participating organizations are medium-to-large-scale petroleum blending businesses certified with ISO 14001, predominantly operating at Level 3 of the Green Industry certification (Green System). Hypothesis testing confirmed that GSCM practices collectively exert a significant positive influence on organizational sustainability (Sig.=0.000, p<.001), accounting for 19.4% of the variance in sustainable performance (R²_adj = .194). Specifically, Green Operations emerged as the most significant predictor of sustainability with the highest effect size (𝛽 = .308, t = 4.612, p < .01), followed by Green Design (𝛽 = .153, t = 2.198, p < .05). Conversely, green purchasing, green manufacturing, and reverse logistics did not exhibit a statistically significant impact due to initial cost barriers and institutionalized baseline standards within the Thai context.

Conclusion: These empirical results suggest that to achieve comprehensive long-term sustainability across economic, social, and environmental dimensions, energy firms must strategically prioritize the integration of green principles into their internal operational core and proactive product design processes.