Unleashing Curiosity: Teachers' Experiences and Strategies for Cultivating Critical Thinking Skills Through Inquiry-Based Learning

Inquiry-based learning continues to be recognized for its potential to cultivate critical thinking and promote student-centered engagement in secondary education. This qualitative study, grounded in phenomenological research design, investigated the lived experiences of secondary school teachers in implementing inquiry-based learning and its perceived influence on students' critical thinking development. Using in-depth interviews as the primary data collection method, the study engaged participants whose insights were analyzed through thematic analysis to identify significant patterns and meanings. The research was guided by three central questions: the first examined teachers' lived experiences with inquiry-based learning; the second identified strategies employed to enhance students' critical thinking; and the third explored the values and educational implications derived from these experiences. Findings revealed key themes related to the shifting teacher roles, increased student engagement, and pedagogical adaptability. In terms of instructional strategies, participants emphasized scaffolding support, intentional inquiry design, and collaborative learning as essential in fostering critical thinking. Additionally, the study highlighted values centered on student autonomy and an emphasis on the learning process. These findings contribute to the broader discourse on inquiry-based pedagogy and underscore its relevance in shaping reflective, cognitively enriched classroom practices.