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Abstract <br/><br/>In the context of contemporary education, critical thinking is recognized as an indispensable skill necessary for learners to engage effectively and succeed both in education and life. Despite its importance, many learners still struggle to develop these essential skills, a gap that may be influenced by the type of questioning techniques employed by educators. Thus, the primary objective of this study was to examine the questioning techniques employed by English teachers and their relationship with students' critical thinking skills, serving as an input for skills development in a rural secondary school during the 2023-2024 school year. The study adopted a descriptive-correlational research design involving all eight secondary English teachers and their 883 randomly selected students.<br/><br/>Data were collected through classroom observations, lesson plan analyses, and a duly validated, researcher-made critical thinking skills questionnaire for students. The statistical tools employed included frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation for descriptive analysis, while Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, and Spearman's rho were used for inferential analysis. The alpha level was set at 0.05, and all computations were processed using SPSS version 20.0.<br/><br/>The study identified nine questioning techniques utilized by secondary English teachers: open-ended questions, closed-ended questions, checking for understanding, higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) questions, probing questions, guiding questions, metacognitive questions, factual questions, and reflective questions. The most commonly used techniques across grade levels were closed-ended questions, open-ended questions, HOTS questions, checking for understanding, and probing questions. The overall level of students' critical thinking skills was classified as Developed. When grouped by sex, grade level, and social media exposure, the critical thinking skills of students were at the Developed level. No significant differences were observed in students' critical thinking skills based on sex or grade level. However, a significant difference was noted when grouped by social media exposure. A significant relationship was found between teachers' questioning techniques and students' critical thinking skills. Students exposed to open-ended, closed-ended, HOTS, probing, and reflective questions demonstrated better critical thinking skills. <br/><br/>The study concluded that students' critical thinking skills are influenced by the questioning techniques employed by English teachers. Specifically, the use of varied and thoughtful questioning methods fosters the development of these skills. As a response, a project titled ASSETS (Academic Support for Skills Enhancement of Teachers and Students) was proposed to enhance teachers' instructional competence in the art of questioning and improve students' critical thinking skills.<br/><br/>Other recommendations include specialized training programs for teachers, redesigned in-service programs, and the active engagement of parents and students in the learning process. These recommendations aim to improve teaching strategies and foster holistic student development.<br/><br/>Keywords: questioning techniques, critical thinking skills, skills Enhancement, skills development |