This action research aimed to 1) develop Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) activities emphasizing aesthetic conflict, 2) evaluate students’ academic engagement and attitudes, and 3) analyze pedagogical challenges to improve the lesson plans. The target group consisted of second-year undergraduate students in the Music Education program (Cohort 68/2) enrolled in a Western Music History course. The research instruments included IBL lesson plans, an academic engagement observation form, and an attitude questionnaire. The study was conducted following the Plan, Act, Observe, and Reflect (PAOR) cycle. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. The results from the first cycle revealed that: 1) The IBL activities, which utilized "aesthetic conflicts" between the Classical and Romantic eras as driving questions integrated with the 5Es learning cycle, successfully and tangibly stimulated students to actively investigate empirical evidence within musical scores. 2) Students’ overall academic engagement reached a high to very high level, demonstrating empirical advancement in logical reasoning and evidence-based argumentation. Furthermore, students exhibited a highly positive attitude at the "strongly agree" level (Mean = 4.21–5.00), reflecting that the instructional approach dismantled the traditional rote-learning paradigm, ignited intrinsic motivation, and fostered intellectual autonomy. 3) The reflection phase identified a critical obstacle termed "Knowledge Fragmentation." Although students could accurately analyze structural music theory, they experienced cognitive stagnation when required to integrate these theoretical findings into historical contexts. Consequently, the researcher refined the lesson plans for the second cycle by implementing "Metacognitive Scaffolding" strategies to support the learners' cognitive processes. In conclusion, aesthetic inquiry-based learning serves as an effective behavioral mechanism, successfully transforming students from passive information consumers into critical scholars capable of generating well-reasoned academic arguments.
Keywords: Action Research, Aesthetics, Critical Thinking, Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL), Music History