Inquiry-Based Learning for Sustained Adolescent Critical Action: A Systematic Review

Abstract

In an educational climate marked by increasing censorship and the marginalization of historically oppressed communities, fostering critical consciousness (CC) among adolescents is both urgent and necessary. Schools can function as transformative spaces where students critically examine social inequities and work to address them. This systematic review examines how inquiry-based learning approaches (IBL), specifically Project-Based Learning (PBL) and Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) facilitated adolescents’ engagement in critical action. Grounded in a sociopolitical development framework, the review analyzes how these pedagogies cultivate social analysis, and political agency. Twenty-five studies (23 YPAR; 2 PBL) were included. Findings indicate that PBL and YPAR foster opportunities for adolescents to interrogate power structures, develop collective strategies, and engage in critical action beyond the classroom. Overall, this review posits IBL as a powerful approach for advancing educational equity and youth empowerment, composed of seven key mechanisms that foster students’ critical action. Through this review, we map specific inquiry-based strategies that facilitate adolescents’ critical consciousness development from reflection to action within a classroom setting. We emphasize key recommendations for research, practice, and policy.