EFFECTIVENESS OF INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING IN ENHANCING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS AMONG GRADE 10 JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

Inquiry-based learning encourages students to harness their curiosity to shape their questions and drive their learning process. It involves posing questions, developing scenarios, or tackling problems, motivating students to explore and seek information independently rather than simply listening to a teacher's lecture. This quasi-experimental research ought to examine the effectiveness of inquiry-based learning in enhancing critical thinking skills of junior high school students and social studies teachers from the six (6) Junior High Schools in Botolan, Zambales. This study administers a standardized test (pretest and posttest) in data gathering. The findings revealed a significant difference between the students’ pre-test and post-test performance using inquiry-based learning. The results provide statistical evidence suggesting a meaningful difference on the perception of the Social Studies teachers during the implementation of inquiry-based teaching strategies. This study recommends that the Social Studies teachers create a conducive learning environment for inquiry-based learning while effectively managing and monitoring student’s progress and behavior during inquiry-based learning activities, provide timely feedback and impose positive reinforcement to guide learners’ behavior.