We present a study carried out with 16-year-old students in Spain using a problem-based learning approach as a pedagogical mode to develop science skills. The main objective of this work was to analyze the development of science skills through an inquiry process in class. The data were collected through audio and video recordings. The students were given the freedom to choose a problem to solve, and they decided on a near-environmental problem to research. They suggested a research question, formulated a hypothesis, designed experiments, observed, collected data, and searched for information. The teacher acted as a facilitator of resources. Finally, the students communicated the results obtained in their inquiry process. They performed all the above while asking themselves questions they had to answer during the course of the project, which increased in depth as the work evolved. The results of this research present PBL as an optimal methodology to develop scientific skills, such as inquiry practice, by means of asking questions.

The fundamentals of experimental science didactics have proven that compulsory education students need to develop skills such as critical thinking. Guided inquiry is a practical methodology for developing various science skills. Moreover, current legislation establishes a series of specific competencies that students must develop. This work presents research carried out with students aged 13–14 years. A project, based on the problem-based learning methodology, on a real-world topic close to the students was implemented to assess the development of critical thinking and specific competencies outlined in legislation. For this purpose, a teaching-learning sequence was developed, and the students’ outputs were collected through questionnaires and teacher observation sheets. The results show that students can answer each of the problems encountered during the project, posing researchable questions and finding solutions through experimentation. Each of the sessions has demonstrated clear progress in several key areas such as the development of some of the required competencies and overall scientific skills, thereby facilitating overall development. Received: 11 May 2025 | Revised: 27 August 2025| Accepted: 21 October 2025 Conflicts of Interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to this work. Data Availability Statement The data that support this work are available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author. Author Contribution Statement Jorge Pozuelo-Muñoz: Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing, Visualization, Supervision, Project administration. Esther Cascarosa Salillas: Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Data Curation, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing, Visualization, Supervision, Project administration. Elena Calvo Zueco: Conceptualization, Software, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Resources, Visualization, Supervision, Project administration. Ester Sánchez Sánchez: Conceptualization, Software, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Resources, Visualization, Supervision, Project administration.