Revealing argumentation skills through thought experiments in mechanics

Thought experiments (TEs) have long been used in physics research and education, yet their role in science teacher education—particularly in enhancing prospective science teachers’ (PSSTs) argumentation skills—remains underexplored. This study aimed to examine the effects of worksheets enriched with TEs on PSSTs’ conceptual understanding of mechanics and their ability to construct scientific arguments. A pretest-posttest control group design was implemented with 35 first-year PSSTs enrolled in a Physics I Laboratory course. Participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n=17) or a control group (n=18), and engaged in laboratory activities over four weeks, totaling 10 hours. Both groups followed similar worksheet-based instruction, with the key difference being the inclusion of TEs in the experimental group’s materials. PSSTs in both groups conducted the same experiments in argumentation skills, suggesting that TEs can serve as effective tools in fostering scientific reasoning. These findings underscore the potential of integrating TEs into physics laboratory instruction as a means to enhance argumentation competence in science teacher education.