A Quasi-Experimental Study on Cognitive Flexibility Learning with a Multicultural Approach in Enhancing Decision-Making and Design Thinking Skills Among Elementary Students in Bali, Indonesia

Despite extensive separate research on cognitive flexibility, multicultural education, and design thinking, empirical evidence validating their integrated implementation in elementary education, particularly during the critical neuroplasticity window of ages 10 to 12, remains limited. This quasi-experimental pretest post-test study examined whether Cognitive Flexibility Learning (CFL) combined with transformative multicultural scenarios enhances decision-making and design thinking skills among elementary students. A total of forty Grade 5 students aged 10 to 12 from three culturally diverse public schools in Bali, Indonesia, selected through purposive sampling, participated in the study. Data were collected using validated Likert scale instruments, with a Gregory Index above 0.80 indicating strong content validity and Cronbach’s alpha above 0.79 indicating acceptable reliability. Over a two-week period, students participated in four sessions of CFL, each lasting 120 minutes. Each session incorporated multicultural conflict scenarios that required perspective taking and ill structured problem solving. The data were analysed using SPSS version 26.0. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank test showed statistically significant improvements in both decision-making (Z = -4.35, p < 0.001, rank biserial r = 0.69, indicating a very large effect) and design thinking (Z = -4.51, p < 0.001, r = 0.71, also indicating a very large effect). The N Gain analysis indicated a moderate level of overall pedagogical effectiveness, with values of g = 0.62 and 0.61 respectively. Although the quasi-experimental design limits control over potential maturation effects, the findings demonstrate the feasibility and immediate effectiveness of brief and intensive CFL integrated with multicultural learning modules. This study provides empirical support for integrating cognitive flexibility learning with multicultural pedagogy as a feasible and high impact intervention for developing twenty first century competencies in diverse elementary education contexts.