Journal of Loomingulisus ja Innovatsioon, 1. - June 2024 164-174 Improving Students' Critical Thinking Skills Through the CTL Learning Model in Fiqh Subjects at Madrasah Aliyah Darus Sholihin Siti Wahyuni Dhofir 1. Nur Laila Maulidiyah 2. Andika 3. Abdul Muhaimin Akhmadi 4. Maulid Agustin 5 Institut Ahmad Dahlan Probolinggo. Indonesia Institut Ahmad Dahlan Probolinggo. Indonesia Institut Ahmad Dahlan Probolinggo. Indonesia Institut Ahmad Dahlan Probolinggo. Indonesia Institut Ahmad Dahlan Probolinggo. Indonesia Corresponding Author: Siti Wahyuni. E-mail. net@gmail. Received: March 19, 2023 Revised: March 22, 2023 Accepted: March 25, 2023 Online: March 27, 2023 ABSTRACT This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) model in enhancing students' critical thinking skills in the subject of Fiqh, specifically focusing on the topics of zakat, infaq, and sadaqah, among tenth-grade students at MA Darus Sholihin Probolinggo. The research is grounded in the importance of critical thinking skills for students to understand and apply Islamic teachings contextually in their daily lives. Conducted as Classroom Action Research (CAR), this study involved nine tenth-grade students, with data collection through observation, documentation, and tests validated using triangulation techniques. Findings reveal that the gradual implementation of CTL in Cycle I and Cycle II significantly improved student engagement and critical thinking in Fiqh. By Cycle II, over 88% of students achieved mastery, indicating that CTL is effective in helping students connect their learning with real-life contexts. This research is anticipated to contribute to the development of more relevant Islamic education systems that foster critical thinking skills among students in Islamic boarding schools. Keywords: Contextual Teaching. Critical Thinking. Teaching Models Journal Homepage https://journal. id/index. php/ijnis This is an open access article under the CC BY SA license https://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-sa/4. How to cite: Dhofir. Maulidiah. Andika. Akhmandi. H & Agustin. Improving Students' Critical Thinking Skills Through the CTL Learning Model in Fiqh Subjects at Madrasah Aliyah Darus Sholihin. Journal of Loomingulisus ja Innovatsioon, 1. , 164-174. https://doi. org/10. 70177/innovatsioon. Published by: Yayasan Pendidikan Islam Daarut Thufulah INTRODUCTION Islamic boarding schools are educational institutions that have a long existence in the country of Indonesia and have proven to have a major contribution in various aspects of the nation's life from the Kingdom period to resistance in colonization. AuDuring the independence period. Islamic boarding schools showed a great role as educational institutions that could present a new alternative to the modern learning systemAy. One of Journal of Loomingulisus ja Innovatsioon Improving Students' Critical Thinking Skills Through the CTL Learning Model in Fiqh SubjectsA the reasons why boarding schools are still the choice of the community is that it turns out that one of the orientations as well as the objectives of boarding school education is to form a complete, independent, and high moral person. Where high or noble morals exceed one's intelligence or intelligence (Zaenal Abidin et al. , 2. Islamic religious education subjects in Islamic boarding schools for madrasas (Ibtidaiyah. Tsanawiyah and Aliya. in Islamic boarding schools which include subjects . l-Qur'an-Hadith. Akidah Akhlak. Jurisprudence and Islamic Cultural Histor. , which must be studied by students and need to be taught at every level of the madrasa (Srilindia Ningsih, 2. This implies that Islamic religious education is very crucial for everyday Madrasah Aliyah Darus Sholihin is a madrasa that stands under the auspices of a boarding school so that in learning fiqh subjects not only obtained from learning in Madrasah Aliyah but also obtained from learning classical fiqh books in diniyah pesantren schools so that student learning outcomes should be cognitive, affective, and psychimotor showing good critical thinking skills. However, the facts in the field show that the level of critical thinking of students in the Fikih learning section has not been fully successful. is the case with students who have studied fiqh subjects, however, students have not been able to apply what they have learned (Gusrizal et al. , 2. In learning fiqh, students are also taught about Islamic laws and how to realize these laws in everyday life. Students are taught to make critical decisions based on the arguments contained in the Qur'an and hadith, and also consider various factors such as context, urgency, and community needs. Students are taught to be able to analyze contemporary cases in society using the principles of fiqh. Students are required to be able to apply fiqh principles that are relevant to the case at hand, while also considering the social and cultural factors that influence the case (Febriyanti, 2. Learning Model is a conceptual framework that describes systematic . procedures in organizing learning activities . in order to achieve learning competency objectives. One of the learning models used in learning Fiqh is the Contextual Teaching and Learning learning model. The Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) Learning Model is a learning concept that emphasizes the connection between subject matter and the real world of students' lives, so that students can connect and realize the competence of learning outcomes in everyday life. Contextual Teaching and Learning in teaching and learning activities includes relating, experiencing, applying, cooperating, as well as transferring (Rosady et al. , 2. Wina Sanjaya reveals in her book entitled: Learning in the Implementation of Competency-Based Curriculum, that: CTL (Contextual and Learnin. is a learning approach that emphasizes the process of full involvement of students in order to find the material that is being / has been learned and relate it to real life situations to encourage students to apply it in their daily lives (Qoriah et al. , 2. he low results of the Islamic religious education teaching and learning system are not solely due to the material that is considered difficult, but it can also be due to the Islamic religious education teaching and learning activities carried out. Whereas one of the Improving Students' Critical Thinking Skills Through the CTL Learning Model in Fiqh SubjectsA important factors in order to achieve educational goals is the teaching and learning process (Regita & Ginting, 2. The use of an Islamic religious education learning system is very necessary to implement, because it facilitates teaching and learning activities to be able to achieve maximum results. Without a clear Islamic religious education learning system, in improving the thinking ability of Madrasah Aliyah students, it is difficult to achieve the maximum, it can also be said that teaching and learning activities cannot run effectively and efficiently. Learning system by using contextual teaching and learning model is very beneficial for educators especially for students. The Islamic religious education learning system using the contextual teaching and learning model can be a guideline and reference for systematic action in teaching and learning activities (Munir, 2. For students, the use of learning systems with contextual teaching and learning models can facilitate learning activities . acilitate and accelerate understanding the content of Islamic religious education learning in improving the thinking ability of Madrasah Aliyah student. , because in each learning system with contextual teaching and learning models applied in order to facilitate learning activities for students in improving critical thinking skills (Aziz & Zakir, 2. In order to improve students' critical thinking skills, the CTL (Contextual Teaching and Learnin. model in improving students' critical thinking skills in learning Jurisprudence, it is important to pay attention to several important factors such as choosing the right context, applying relevant learning models, and applying effective evaluation in monitoring students' progress. Improving students' critical thinking skills is one of the main objectives of CTL (Contextual Teaching and Learnin. Critical thinking is the ability to analyze, evaluate, and interpret information in order to achieve a better understanding and make the right decision (Dewita & Dewi, 2. Students who have good critical thinking skills in Fiqh are students who can understand, analyze, evaluate, and formulate arguments with good logic and rationality related to concepts and issues in Fiqh. Students who have good critical thinking skills can identify assumptions, question the information given, evaluate arguments, and make the right decision based on good and thorough thinking (Putri & Indarini, 2. Good critical thinking skills in Fiqh subjects are crucial because they can help students understand and realize the principles and values contained in Fiqh learning in an appropriate and correct Researchers assume that by applying the Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) learning model in Islamic religious education subjects, it can contribute to encouraging learning motivation to improve students' thinking skills. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss specifically related to the Islamic religious education learning system using the Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) learning model in improving students' thinking This study aims to be able to analyze the effectiveness of the application of the CTL (Contextual Teaching and Learnin. learning model on improving students' critical thinking skills in Fiqh learning, especially in the chapter Auzakat, infaq and sadaqahAy. Considering how crucial the ability to think critically in understanding and applying the Improving Students' Critical Thinking Skills Through the CTL Learning Model in Fiqh SubjectsA principles of Islamic teachings in the context of human life, this research tries to explore the extent to which the Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) learning model is able to help students link learning materials with real situations. With the main focus on improving students' critical thinking skills, this research is expected to make a significant contribution to the development of a more effective Islamic religious education learning system that is relevant to the needs of students in Madrasah Aliyah (Fauzi et al. , 2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The place used in the research was MA Darus Sholihin Probolinggo. The research subjects were class X students with a total of 9 people consisting of 5 women and 4 men. In this class action research (PTK), the object of research is the Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) learning model in improving students' critical thinking skills on fiqh learning materials. The approach used in this research is Classroom Action Research (CAR) Classroom Action Research (CAR) is oriented towards improving students' critical thinking skills. According to its orientation, this type of research has the advantage of improving and increasing students' critical thinking skills in fiqh learning materials (Fadholi et al. , 2. To get correct and precise data, researchers use observation, documentation, and test methods. The techniques used to check the validity in this study are triangulation and informant review (Chusnah et al. , 2. AuTriangulation is a validity checking technique that uses something else outside the data for checking or comparing the dataAy. The triangulation techniques used in this research are data triangulation and method Data/source triangulation is done by collecting data about research problems from several different data sources. While triangulation of methods is done by exploring the same data with different methods, such as synchronized with the results of observations or existing documents. To maintain validity, the data in this study was collaboratively discussed with In addition, efforts were made to pay attention to the following: . the observer will observe the entire sequence of events that occur in the classroom. the purpose, time limit and signs of observation are clear. the results of the observation are recorded completely and carefully. observation needs to be done objectively (Tanjung. Improving Students' Critical Thinking Skills Through the CTL Learning Model in Fiqh SubjectsA Figure 1. Thinking Framework RESULT AND DISCUSSION Pre-cycle The initial stage of Fiqh subjects in class X MA Darus Sholihin Probolinggo was pre-cycle, where out of 9 students, 4 students . 44%) managed to achieve learning completeness and 5 students . 56%) did not achieve completeness. Although the learning outcomes had shown improvement, they had not yet reached the 50% level of classical completeness. Some findings from the observation include: First, planning: educators should plan by compiling teaching modules, designing learning materials, and linking them to the context of students' lives as a basis for analyzing students. Second, action: introducing the concept or material, explaining the subject of Fiqh chapter AuZakat. Infaq and SadaqahAy, assigning each student, explaining the tasks for each student, and closing teaching and learning Furthermore, the following is the value of student learning outcomes in the early stages taken from the pre-cycle: Table I Pre-Cycle Learning Outcomes Using the CTL Learning Model Number Student Score Complete/Incomplete Incomplete Improving Students' Critical Thinking Skills Through the CTL Learning Model in Fiqh SubjectsA Incomplete Complete Complete Complete Complete Incomplete Incomplete Incomplete Level Very good Good Fair Insufficient Table II Percentage of Pre-Cycle Assessment Results Number of Students Score Range Percentage 33,33% 11,11% <75 55,56% Complete/Incomplete Complete Complete Complete Incomplete Third, observation: Observations of all students in the application of the Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) learning model in Jurisprudence subjects at MA Darus Sholihin Probolinggo show an increase in the relevance of learning activities, deepening understanding, increasing students' critical thinking skills, and active student involvement through real contexts and interactive methods. This approach emphasizes the introduction of Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) that is relevant to students' daily lives. Supervision during the learning process is crucial in ensuring the effectiveness of the learning process, with special attention to helping students understand the material deeply so that they have dynamic and flexible knowledge and skills. Evaluation is conducted to ensure students' understanding and ability to apply the material in their daily lives. The implementation of Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) in learning Jurisprudence has brought positive results in increasing students' involvement, understanding, critical thinking ability, and skills, although there are obstacles that require support and collaboration from various related parties. Cycle I In the second stage of this cycle, the Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) approach was applied in the learning process of Fiqh. The steps taken in Cycle I are as First, planning: . In this stage, researchers link a series of steps, including the preparation of teaching modules using the CTL (Contextual Teaching and Learnin. Improving Students' Critical Thinking Skills Through the CTL Learning Model in Fiqh SubjectsA approach, . Preparation of a collection of questions related to chapters in Fiqh subjects, and . Preparing observation sheets. Second, action: . Educators explain the material about the chapter AuZakat. Infaq and SadaqahAy. Educators provide oral explanations of steps or concepts, including definitions, explanations, or additional information that supports students' . Educators demonstrate the process or skills being taught, using physical or visual steps. Educators ask questions of students after the implementation of the CTL learning method to ensure students' understanding, provide answers, and provide clarification if needed. The educator encourages learners to apply learning in learners' daily lives. The educator repeats CTL learning if needed, giving learners the opportunity to observe teaching and learning activities more than once. The educator evaluates learners' understanding through various methods, such as questions and assignments. The educator gives a summary of the CTL learning, emphasizing the main points, and linking it back to the learning objectives. Table i Cycle I Learning Outcomes Using the CTL Learning Model Number Student Score Complete/Incomplete Complete Incomplete Complete Complete Complete Complete Incomplete Complete Incomplete Level Very good Good Fair Insufficient Tabel IV Percentage of Cycle I Assessment Results Number of Students Score Range Percentage 11,11% 44,44% 11,11% <75 33,33% Complete/Incomplete Complete Complete Complete Incomplete Third, observation: after completing Cycle I, it was seen that students' interest in the learning process had increased. Students look more active in listening and are able to apply CTL learning methods. However, there are still some students who have not fully participated optimally in listening and showing a good level of participation during teaching and learning activities with the CTL method. Improving Students' Critical Thinking Skills Through the CTL Learning Model in Fiqh SubjectsA Fourth, based on the evaluation percentage table of Cycle I results, it can be concluded that 6 students or 66. 67% have reached the level of completeness, while 3 students or 33. 33% have not reached the level of completeness. To monitor the development of student learning outcomes and ensure the achievement of KKM scores, researchers will continue research in Cycle II. Cycle II In the Cycle II stage, researchers used the CTL approach in the learning The following are the stages that will be applied in this Cycle II stage. Some of these steps link a series of stages carried out by researchers, including: First, planning: . Researchers compiled various questions. Researchers prepared observation sheets. Second, action: . Educators explain about Fiqh lessons in the chapter AuZakat. Infaq and SadaqahAy, while preparing the necessary tools. Educators provide oral explanations of several steps or concepts, including definitions, explanations, or additional information that supports understanding. Educators demonstrate the process or skills taught by using several physical or visual . Educators ask questions of students after the implementation of teaching and learning activities with the CTL method to ensure students' understanding, provide answers, and clarify if needed. Educators encourage learners to actively participate in CTL teaching and learning activities, including giving responses, asking questions, or following the stages of CTL learning. Educators repeat CTL learning if needed, giving learners the opportunity to observe the learning process more than once. Educators evaluate learners' understanding through various methods, such as questions and assignments. Educators conclude CTL learning by summarizing the main points and linking them back to the learning objectives. Tabel V Cycle II Learning Outcomes Using the CTL Learning Model Number Student Score Complete/Incomplete Complete Complete Complete Complete Complete Complete Incomplete Complete Complete Improving Students' Critical Thinking Skills Through the CTL Learning Model in Fiqh SubjectsA Level Very good Good Fair Insufficient Tabel VI Percentage of Cycle II Assessment Results Number of Students Score Range Percentage 33,33% 33,33% 22,22% <75 11,11% Complete/Incomplete Complete Complete Complete Incomplete Third, observation: after completing Cycle II, it is evident that students have reached the maximum level of ability in participating in the learning process. Learners seemed more active in listening and managed to apply CTL learning well in Cycle II compared to Cycle I. Thus, it can be concluded that learners successfully participated in applying the concept of Customizing Infaq. Thus, it can be concluded that students successfully participated in applying the concept of Familiarizing Infaq and Sadaqah in their daily lives. Fourth, reflection: from the analysis of the percentage table of evaluation results in Cycle II, it can be concluded that 8 learners or a range of 88. 89% have reached the expected level of achievement, while 1 learner or a range of 11. 11% has not reached that level of achievement. Thus, it can be said that the implementation of the CTL method in the learning process has proven effective in improving student learning outcomes in class X MA Darus Sholihin Probolinggo in Fiqh subjects. CONCLUSION Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia have long been an educational institution that has an important role in character building and deep religious understanding for the younger generation. One of the learning approaches used in honing critical thinking skills is Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL). This approach connects learning materials with everyday life, so that students not only understand theoretical concepts but can also apply religious principles in real life. Research at MA Darus Sholihin Probolinggo shows that the application of the Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) learning model in Fiqh subjects, especially related to the chapter Auzakat, infaq and sadaqahAy, has succeeded in improving students' critical thinking skills. This learning model makes students more active as well as reflective in learning activities. With a contextual approach that encourages full student involvement, the Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) learning model helps students relate learning to their daily lives, thus increasing their understanding and participation. The results of this study also showed a significant improvement in students' ability to analyze and make decisions based on Islamic teachings, strengthening the role of pesantren as Islamic religious education institutions that are responsive to the needs of the Improving Students' Critical Thinking Skills Through the CTL Learning Model in Fiqh SubjectsA REFERENCES