doi: 10.18178/ijiet.2026.16.5.2586
Design and Validation of a Physics Learning Website Based on Cognitive Conflict, AR, and STEM to Support Critical Thinking Skills
Fatni Mufit1,*
,
Emiliannur1 ,
Hidayati1 ,
Yeka Hendriyani2 ,
Muhammad Dhanil1 ,
Zahra Fathanah3
- 1Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Padang, Padang, Indonesia
- 2Department of Electronics, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Padang, Padang, Indonesia
- 3Faculty of Computer Science & Information Technology, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Manuscript receivedSeptember 9, 2025
- revisedOctober 21, 2025
- acceptedDecember 3, 2025
- publishedMay 12, 2026
Abstract
This study aims to design a physics website based on cognitive conflict, Augmented Reality (AR), and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) that is valid to support students’ critical thinking skills. The study employed an Educational Design Research (EDR) approach consisting of three stages: analysis and exploration, design and construction, and evaluation and reflection. The participants included 404 randomly selected upper secondary students in West Sumatra, Indonesia, and six experts for validation. Data were collected through a needs analysis questionnaire and expert validation sheets. The needs analysis was examined using descriptive statistics, t-tests, and ANOVA, while product validity was assessed with Aiken’s V index. The findings indicate that students across different grade levels, both male and female, share similar perceptions regarding socio-emotional aspects, efficiency, actual behavior, and preferences, underscoring the need for integrating a physics website into the learning process. This study produced a validated physics website (V > 0.8) that integrates AR, STEM, and the cognitive conflict-based learning model to support students’ critical thinking skills. This design was found to address student needs and was validated as being valid. This study was limited to the design stage; therefore, the developed website is recommended for further testing to evaluate its effectiveness. It has the potential to enhance digital learning by fostering engagement and improving students’ critical thinking skills.
Keywords
- augmented reality
- cognitive conflict
- critical thinking skills
- Science
- Technology
- Engineering
- and Mathematics (STEM)
How to Cite
Fatni Mufit, Emiliannur, Hidayati, Yeka Hendriyani, Muhammad Dhanil, and Zahra Fathanah, "Design and Validation of a Physics Learning Website Based on Cognitive Conflict, AR, and STEM to Support Critical Thinking Skills," International Journal of Information and Education Technology, vol. 16, no. 5, pp. 1173-1185, 2026. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2026.16.5.2586
Copyright & License
Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).