Meta-Analysis and Bibliometric Review Comparison of Digital and Non-Digital Innovation Media in Contextual Learning for Enhancing Critical Thinking in Scopus-I

Abstract

The development of a curriculum through a contextual approach is 
widely recognized as an effective way to enhance students' critical 
thinking skills. Therefore, to improve critical thinking the contextual 
approach employs two main types of innovations: digital media 
(including augmented reality, virtual classes, and digital games, etc) and 
non-digital innovations (SSCS, PBL, and Thinking Empowerment, etc). 
However, debate exists on whether digital media's immersive 
engagement or non-digital methods' personalized, hands-on experience 
is more effective for delivering contextual learning and enhancing 
critical thinking.This study performs a meta-analysis and bibliometric 
analysis to assess the effectiveness of contextual learning using both 
digital and non-digital media in boosting critical thinking skills. 
Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, a literature search identified 16 studies 
published between 2020 and 2024 that met the inclusion criteria. These 
studies were analyzed using VOS-viewer to visualize research trends and 
SPSS for statistical tests, including ANCOVA with effect size. The 
Kolmogorov-Smirnov test result was 0.081 > α 0.05, Levene's test result 
was 0.29 > α 0.05, ANCOVA significance was 0.927 > α 0.05, and the 
effect size was 0.01. The findings indicate that both digital and non
digital media effectively enhance critical thinking skills, with no 
significant difference in their effectiveness. This implies that the choice 
between digital and non-digital methods should depend on factors such 
as accessibility, cost, and personal preference, as both approaches are 
equally effective for fostering critical thinking in a contextual learning 
environment.