2025 Volume 66 Issue 1 Pages 189-201
In science learning, the type of thinking that functions when pupils construct scientific concepts is referred to as scientific thinking, and its development is encouraged. It is thought that learners’ thinking is interconnected and proceeds in a series of steps within the context of scientific inquiry, which unfolds in a sequence. However, while scientific thinking within individual phases of scientific inquiry has been examined, the connections between the phases and the overall sequence of scientific thinking throughout the inquiry process require further investigation. Based on this understanding, the purpose of this study is to clarify the nature of children’s scientific thinking as it develops in relation to these phases during the problem-solving process. Specifically, this study focused on Kuhn’s (2010) suggestions, which categorize the process of scientific inquiry into four phases and organize the scientific thinking within each phase. Informed by Kuhn’s framework, a case analysis was conducted. The analysis revealed how children engaged in scientific thinking during each phase—inquiry, analysis, and inference—of this practice, as well as the transitions between these phases. Regarding the transitions between phases of scientific thinking, it was suggested that establishing the purpose of scientific inquiry during the inquiry phase contributes to valid analysis and interpretation in the analysis phase. Furthermore, the transitions in scientific thinking from the analysis phase to the inference phase were broadly categorized into two groups: high-level transitions and low-level transitions. Among these, it was suggested that the students in the high-level transition group were able to form inferences by linking evidence extracted through analysis and interpretation, facilitated by scientific thinking, and expressed through drawing.
