Innofative Strategies in Developing Creativity And Critical Thinking Of High School Students Using PjBL

The Project Based Learning (PjBL) approach has increasingly been recognized as an innovative instructional strategy capable of enhancing high school students’ creativity and critical thinking skills. Various studies highlight that PjBL provides opportunities for students to engage directly in authentic, collaborative, and problem-solving–oriented project activities. According to Hasan (2020) and Sakbana et al. (2021), active involvement in planning and implementing projects helps students generate original ideas and improve their analytical abilities. This is further supported by Hidayah (2022) and Maro (2016), who emphasize that the PjBL approach aligns with the principles of the 2013 Curriculum, which requires active, explorative learning and encourages the development of critical thinking. Other studies, such as Mahombar et al. (2021) and Maro & Nurbatra (2013), also show that integrating PjBL with STEM or STEAM approaches can significantly enhance creativity and the ability to solve complex problems.This study employs a literature review method by examining a number of scholarly articles from Google Scholar that discuss the implementation of PjBL in improving high school students’ creativity and critical thinking. The analysis was carried out by reviewing patterns of findings, implementation strategies, and the challenges of applying PjBL within the Indonesian educational context. The results indicate that structured project design, technological support such as augmented reality, and the teacher’s role as a facilitator greatly contribute to the success of PjBL. In addition, project-based learning has been proven to increase students’ motivation, collaboration, and independence, as shown in studies by Simanjuntak (2020), Widana et al. (2021), and Saphira & Prahani (2021).Overall, the literature demonstrates that PjBL is an effective and relevant approach in meeting the demands of 21st-century competencies. With appropriate design and optimal teacher support, PjBL holds great potential for developing high school students’ creativity and critical thinking skills.