Development and preliminary evaluation of ROMI using Articulate Storyline for sixth-grade learning about Earth’s rotation

Abstract

Background- Critical thinking is an important skill for students, particularly in learning science concepts such as Earth’s rotation. Preliminary assessment showed that students’ critical thinking ability had a low category. Objectives- This study aimed to develop and conduct a preliminary evaluation of Rotation Media Interactive (ROMI) using Articulate Storyline for sixth-grade. Method- This study employed the ADDIE development model. The participants were sixth-grade students at a public elementary school in Palembang. The developed media was evaluated through expert validation, individual and small-group trials, and a field evaluation involving 18 students. Data were collected using expert validation sheets, student response questionnaires, and critical thinking tests. Results- ROMI obtained an average feasibility score of 94.71% from material, media, and practitioner validation, categorized as very feasible. Student responses indicated high practicality, with average scores of 93.06% in the individual trial and 93.15% in the small-group trial. In the field evaluation, the mean critical thinking test score increased from 62.89 to 93.89 after implementation, with a mean N-Gain of 0.835, categorized as high. Conclusions- ROMI received favorable expert evaluations and student responses and showed promising results in the preliminary field evaluation. However, the observed score increase cannot be attributed solely to ROMI. Further evaluation using larger samples and controlled or comparative designs is needed.