Development and Evaluation of an Educational Monopoly Game for Elementary School Students’ Argumentative Thinking Skills in Natural and Social Sciences Learning

This study aimed to develop and evaluate an educational Monopoly game designed to support third-grade students’ argumentative thinking skills in learning about biotic and abiotic components. The research employed a Research and Development (R&D) approach using the ADDIE model, comprising Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. The study involved 43 third-grade students from two elementary schools in Gresik, Indonesia, consisting of 16 students in the limited trial and 27 students in the extended trial. A one-group pretest–posttest design was employed, with data collected through expert validation, teacher and student questionnaires, argumentative thinking tests, and classroom observations. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, normalized gain (N-Gain), and paired-samples t-tests. The results showed that the educational Monopoly game achieved material and media validity scores of 92.44% and 94.67%, respectively. Teacher and student practicality assessments yielded 97.33% and 92.34%, respectively. In the limited trial, the mean score increased from 50.38 to 88.69, with an N-Gain of 0.77. Similarly, the extended trial showed an increase from 50.96 to 87.15, with an N-Gain of 0.72. Both trials demonstrated statistically significant pretest–posttest differences (p < .001). Classroom observations also indicated improvements in students’ abilities to formulate claims, provide supporting evidence, and respond to alternative viewpoints. These findings suggest that the educational Monopoly game is a promising instructional medium for supporting argumentative thinking in elementary science education, although causal conclusions remain limited by the absence of a control group