The Effect of the Guided Inquiry Learning Model on Students’ Creative Thinking Ability

Abstract

The Merdeka Curriculum places the graduate profile as the primary reference for developing students’ character and competencies. One of its key profiles is creativity, defined as the ability not only to master knowledge but also to generate ideas and develop various alternative solutions to problems. This study aimed to determine the effect of the Guided Inquiry Learning Model on eighth-grade students’ creative thinking ability on the topic of Work and Energy at MTs Madinatussalam. This study employed a quantitative approach using a quasi-experimental design, specifically a nonequivalent control group design. Data were collected through a creative thinking ability test administered as a pretest and posttest. Hypothesis testing was conducted using the Mann–Whitney U Test with the assistance of IBM SPSS Statistics. The results showed that the mean posttest score of the experimental class was 64.62, while that of the control class was 57.02. The hypothesis test yielded an Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) value of 0.005 < 0.05, leading to the rejection of H₀ and acceptance of Hₐ. Therefore, a significant difference was found in students' creative thinking ability between the experimental and control classes. These findings indicate that the Guided Inquiry Learning Model has a significant effect on students’ creative thinking ability in the topic of Work and Energy.