<![CDATA[Students' limited tendency to verify digital information provides the point of departure for this study. To address that concern, self-directed learning was incorporated into Islamic Religious Education (PAI) in the honors class at SMPN 1 Candung. The research describes how the approach was organized and examines its contribution to students' critical-thinking development. A descriptive qualitative design was used. Evidence was obtained from classroom observation, semi-structured in-depth interviews, and reviews of teaching modules, learning-flow documents, and student work, with the PAI teacher, the vice-principal responsible for curriculum affairs, and honors-class students serving as information sources. The analysis proceeded through data condensation, organized display, and verification of conclusions; source and technique triangulation were applied to establish trustworthiness. The results indicate that students were given progressively greater control across the planning, learning, and evaluation phases while the teacher supplied assistance when needed. Greater self-confidence, responsibility, and initiative appeared alongside improvement in Ennis's five critical-thinking dimensions: elementary clarification, basic support, inference, advanced clarification, and strategies and tactics. Thus, the contribution of self-directed learning arose not from independent assignments alone, but from the interaction of purposeful instructional planning, responsive teacher facilitation, a supportive honors-class environment, and students' internal motivation.]]>
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