Enhancing Student Creativity through Regressive Inquiry: A Teaching Approach Design in Engineering Design Activities

This study aims to design and develop lesson plans by integrating a regressive inquiry sequence, progressing from open inquiry to guided inquiry, and then to structured inquiry, combined with collaborative learning in a group-of-four framework to enhance students' creativity in engineering design activities. The instructional model is grounded in constructivist learning theory and incorporates the Engineering Design Process (EDP), which includes eight iterative stages: Ask, Research, Imagine, Plan, Create, Present, Test, and Improve. The regressive inquiry allows students to begin with creative freedom and gradually receive increasing instructional support. Collaboration is facilitated through fixed group roles— Facilitator, Presenter, Recorder, and Planner-aligned with specific EDP stages to ensure shared responsibility and active participation. The developed lesson plan was evaluated by experts using a 20-item assessment form. The assessment results indicated overall quality ranging from good to excellent in creativity integration, collaborative structure, and practical classroom application, with average scores of 4.95, 4.35, and 4.00 as rated by Expert 1, Expert 2, and Expert 3, respectively. These findings suggest that the instructional model is appropriate for use in STEM education and could effectively support the development of student creativity through structured inquiry and collaborative engagement.