Enhancement of 9th grader students’ 21st century skills through inquiry-based questions in integrated STEM activity

The 21st Century Skills are a set of skills which is needed to prepare students to survive and work in the digital age. The aims of this study were to investigate the used of inquiry-based questioning for supporting student’s learning within a design-based science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activity. The activity was related by 34 students at the 9th grade level who were participated in doing the activity. The methodology was qualitative method. The students’ 21st Century Skills were interpreted through participant observation, semi-structure interview and heat container. The finding from this study revealed that the students participated STEM activity has been shown to assist the students’ 21st century skills (Digital age literacy, Inventive thinking, Effective communication, High productivity) and the students facilitated by inquiry-based questioning strategies (Clarifying questions, Focusing questions, Probing questions, Prompting questions) be able to solve problem and achieved tocreate products. The outcome of this study could help students to enhance their 21st century skills by learning how to solve real-world problems based on authentic and real-life experiences through project work.