Background: This study aimed to determine the students’ critical thinking skills (CTS) as predictors of students’ mathematics performance in a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) environment.

Methods and Findings: This study employed a descriptive-qualitative research approach. The data collected was pretest, posttest, and interviews. Pretest results showed that the students had lower levels of CTS and performance. Posttest revealed that students improved their mathematics performance to Very Satisfactory as their level of CTS improved, generally evaluated as Advanced Thinkers. Regression analysis showed that CTS is a significant predictor of performance (all β’s> 0; all p’s < 0.001). Focus group discussions were employed to highlight students’ experiences with PBL.

Conclusion: PBL can improve students’ critical thinking skills and performance in teaching functions. There is a direct relationship between CTS (X) and performance (Y). Teachers can adapt PBL modules as teaching-learning pedagogy to teach other math topics.

Keywords: Problem-Based Learning, Critical Thinking Skills, Mathematics Performance.

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