The effectiveness of the inquiry learning model in enhancing students’ critical thinking skills in entomology

AbstractThis research looked at how well the inquiry learning approach worked in an entomology class to improve students’ capacity for critical thinking. Preliminary observations revealed low critical thinking ability due to conventional lecture-dominant methods. A one-group pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design was employed with Biology Education undergraduates. Instruments comprised a 10-item essay test of critical thinking and an inquiry-model implementation guide. Mean scores rose significantly from M = 68.55 (SD = 4.76) on the pretest to M = 82.55 (SD = 1.41) on the posttest. A paired-samples t-test confirmed this difference, t(19) = 13.16, p < .001. Effect size (Cohen’s d = 2.83) indicated a very large impact. Results demonstrate that the inquiry learning model is highly effective in improving critical thinking in Entomology.