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May 11, 2026
Abstract
Scientific reasoning, understood as a hypothetical-deductive process that guides the formulation and verification of hypotheses, is essential in physics education. This study describes the level of development of scientific reasoning skills among 11th- and 12th-grade students in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. A descriptive, non-experimental, cross-sectional design was used, applying the Spanish version of the Lawson Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (LCTSR) to 317 students enrolled in science-related elective courses. The results show a predominance of the concrete level (76.6%), followed by the transitional level (20.5%) and a minimal percentage at the formal level (2.8%). The sub-skills with the highest mastery were conservation and correlation, whereas proportional, variable-control, hypothetical-deductive, and probabilistic reasoning showed lower performance. Based on the evidence, it is suggested to implement evidence-based instructional methodologies to strengthen students’ scientific reasoning, such as Authentic Inquiry, Scientific Argumentation, Physics by Inquiry, and Modeling Instruction.
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