Evaluating the Impact of Inquiry-Based Teaching Strategies on the Development of Scientific Thinking, Problem-Solving, and Conceptual Understanding Among High School Students

Specifically, this research aims at establishing the impact of prompt-based instructions embracing inquiries in enhancing scientific reasoning abilities, problem-solving competencies and conceptual mastery among high school students. This is realizing the challenges of traditional teacher-centered approach of instruction where most classes are taught through a memory-based and passive approach the research uses student-centered, inquiry based approach with Constructivism theory. The study design was quasi-experimental, consisting of one group of students being taught using the inquiry-based method and the second group being taught using the conventional method. Questionnaires, pre- and post-tests, observation and interviews were used in the study. The findings show that students in the inquiry-based learning group had a greater improvement in terms of their scientific reasoning abilities, problem-solving skills Competency, and conceptual development as compared to the students given rica traditional style of learning. Furthermore, students who were exposed to inquiry based strategies depicted high levels of interest and self reported satisfaction with the process of learning. These findings are explained by qualitative evaluations and quantitative analyses through t-tests and the visualization of the results in the form of heatmaps, scatter plots, and violin charts. The study has shown that inquiry-based strategies improve not only academic achievement but also metacognition, creativity, and motivation, making it important for broader adoption in secondary science classrooms. These findings are significant for educators and policymakers targeting evidence-based practices that can enhance learners’ abilities to address real-life science problems.