Critical reflection on fostering multidisciplinary competencies and addressing challenges in secondary education

This qualitative study examines the integration of reflective practice to nurture multidisciplinary competencies among secondary-level students in Nepal. Anchored in a critical-pragmatic stance, the research employed guided reflection to cultivate ethical awareness, critical thinking, and dialogic engagement between students and teachers. Despite institutional resistance and entrenched teacher-centered norms, findings reveal that reflective practice can serve as a transformative pedagogical tool—enabling learners to move beyond technical proficiency toward sustained, meaningful learning across disciplinary boundaries. Students demonstrated tangible skill acquisition, and the process highlighted the importance of resilience, iterative reflection, and strategic advocacy. The study calls for embedding reflective practice within school cultures to promote inclusive, skill-based education aligned with multidisciplinary learning goals. Ultimately, it advocates for repositioning school learning environments as platforms for cultivating global citizenship, where digital literacy, ethical reflection, and collaborative inquiry are foundational to educational transformation.