Explorative Learning and Critical Thinking Skills of Students in Earth Science
Keywords:
Critical thinking, Earth Science education, Exploratory learning, Inquiry based learning, Quasi-experimental designAbstract
This study examined the effectiveness of the Explorative Learning Approach in enhancing the critical thinking skills and summative assessment performance of Grade 11 Earth Science students. A quasi-experimental pretest posttest control group design was employed. Forty-two students were assigned to experimental and control groups (n = 21 each). Results showed that the experimental group obtained significantly higher posttest scores on critical thinking (M = 27.00, SD = 6.30) than the control group (M = 17.86, SD = 8.24), t(40) = 4.04, p < .001. Within-group analysis also revealed significant improvements in the experimental group, t (20) = 10.52, p < .001. Findings indicate that the Explorative Learning Approach significantly enhances critical thinking and academic performance compared to traditional instruction. The results suggest that structured inquiry-based instruction can improve higher-order thinking skills in secondary science education contexts. Implications for instructional practice and future research across subject areas are discussed.
Downloads
References
Agustini, R., Meilanie, R.S.M., & Pujiastuti, S.I. (2024). Enhancing critical thinking and curiosity in early childhood through inquiry-based science learning. Aulad: Journal on Early Childhood, 7(3), 734–743. https://tinyurl.com/57e25kms
Aniceto, R. (2023). Higher-order thinking skills-based assessment in English for academic and professional purposes. Journal of International Education, 5, 1–23. https://tinyurl.com/rf74aty8
Barta, A., Fodor, L.A., Tamas, B., & Szamoskozi, I. (2022). The development of students’ critical thinking abilities and dispositions through the concept mapping learning method–A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 37, 100481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2022.100481
De Bortoli, L., Underwood, C., Friedman, T., & Gebhardt, E. (2024). PISA 2022. Reporting Australia’s results. Volume II: Student and school characteristics. https://doi.org/10.37517/978-1-74286-726-7
Dewi, D.K., Ardhana, W., Irtadji, T.C., & Sulianti, A. (2021). Inquiry-based learning implementation to improve critical thinking of prospective teachers. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 11(12), 638–645. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2021.11.12.1575
Dumitru, D., Minciu, M., Mihaila, R.A., Livinti, R., & Paduraru, M.E. (2023). Experimental programs of critical thinking enhancement: A worked-based, blended learning higher education curriculum for economics. Education Sciences, 13(10), 1031. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13101031
Francisco, R., & Caingcoy, M. (2022). Competencies of basic education teachers and performance of learners in 2017-2018 National Achievement Test in the Philippines. http://dx.doi.org/10.23960/jpp.v12.i2.202212
Galgao, C., Galgo, J., Hibaya, A.J., Sotil, S.F., & Doliente, J. (2025). Lived experiences of 21st century teachers in inclusive education. Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 3(10), 598–604. https://doi.org/10.69569/jip.2025.658
Galgo, J. (2020). Endeavours towards academic success: An investigation of underprivileged student’s life experience. Middle Eastern Journal of Research in Education and Social Sciences, 1(2), 94–106. https://doi.org/10.47631/mejress.v1i2.46
Galgo, J., & Balbaguio, R. (2022). Utilization of EvalBee application in improving learners’ performance assessment recording. International Journal of Open-access, Interdisciplinary & New Educational Discoveries of ETCOR Educational Research Center, 1(3), 124–129. https://tinyurl.com/3pma6h36
Golden, B. (2023). Enabling critical thinking development in higher education through the use of a structured planning tool. Irish Educational Studies, 42(4), 949–969. https://doi.org/10.1080/03323315.2023.2258497
Guo, R., Jantharajit, N., & Thongpanit, P. (2024). Enhancing analytical and critical thinking skills through reflective and collaborative learning: A quasi-experimental study. Journal of Education and Educational Development, 11(2), 200–223. https://tinyurl.com/y763ccra
Lutsenko, O., & Lutsenko, G. (2022). Active learning: Theory and practice. BoD–Books on Demand. https://tinyurl.com/5n8u7tx7
Muhibbuddin, Artika, W., & Nurmaliah, C. (2023). Improving critical thinking skills through Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)-based science. International Journal of Instruction, 16(4), 283–296. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2023.16417a
Petersen, C., Baepler, P., Beitz, A., Ching, P., Gorman, K., Neudauer, C., Wingert, D., et al. (2020). The tyranny of content: “Content Coverage” as a barrier to evidence-based teaching approaches and ways to overcome it. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 19(2), ar17. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.19-04-0079
Ramakrishnan, B., & Sylvia, J. (2024). Enhancing critical thinking and emotional coping of nursing students through life skills training. Bioinformation, 20(12), 2091. https://tinyurl.com/bdf5897d
Santos, L.F. (2017). The role of critical thinking in science education. Journal of Education and Practice, 8(20), 159–173. https://tinyurl.com/mmm6t8c6
Sirianansopa, K. (2024). Evaluating students’ learning achievements using the formative assessment technique: A retrospective study. BMC Medical Education, 24(1), 1373. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-06347-5
Zhang, B.H., & Ahmed, S. (2020). Systems thinking—Ludwig Von Bertalanffy, Peter Senge, and Donella Meadows. Science Education in Theory and Practice: An Introductory Guide to Learning Theory, 419–436. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43620-9_28
Zubaidah, S., Mahanal, S., & Fauzi, A. (2020). Critical thinking embedded essay test. In International Conference on Biology, Sciences and Education (ICoBioSE, 2019) (pp. 171–177). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/absr.k.200807.036
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
