Guided Inquiry Learning and Students’ Critical Thinking Skills: An Experimental Study on Cognitive Performance in Junior High School Mathematics

Abstrak

This study aims to examine the extent of the influence of the Guided Inquiry Learning (GIL) model on the critical thinking ability of grade IX students. The researcher applied a pseudo-experimental design by comparing two classes: an experimental class using a guided inquiry learning model and a control class using a Direct Instruction Learning model. Data were analyzed descriptively to describe learning activities and classify critical thinking levels, as well as inferentially to test hypotheses. Three main findings support these results: (1) The average learning implementation by teachers in the experimental class reached 91.94%, slightly higher than the control class which was 91.67%; (2) Students' activity in developing critical thinking skills in the experimental class reached 80.62%, higher than the control class with 79.60%; and (3) The mean posttest critical thinking score in the experimental class (M = 52.44) significantly exceeded that of the control class (M = 38.61), with t(63) = 4.080, p < 0.001 (two-tailed), providing strong statistical evidence that GIL significantly outperforms direct instruction in fostering students’ critical thinking. These findings carry implications for the design of inquiry-based learning environments that systematically target specific cognitive indicators of critical thinking.

Kata kunci

• Critical Thinking Skills
• Guided inquiry learning
• Mathematics Education
• direct instruction learning
• quasi-experimental