Evaluation of The Scientific Reasoning Skills of Grade Six Pupils in Amai-Pakpak Central Elementary School, Marawi City

Abstract

This study investigated the scientific reasoning skills of 291 sixth-grade students at Amai-Pakpak Central Elementary School (APCES) in Marawi City, during the school year 2024-2025. The research aimed to address a critical gap in the literature by evaluating these skills in a specific school context, providing valuable insights for educators and policymakers to enhance science education and promote scientific literacy. The study utilized an adapted version of Lawson's Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (LCTSR). The study also examined the cognitive development stages based on Piaget's theory and its potential impact on scientific reasoning abilities. It employed a descriptive research design, utilizing the LCTSR to gather quantitative data. The findings revealed concerning scientific reasoning skills among the students. The participants demonstrated the highest proficiency in conservation of weight (72.0%), while their performance in other areas, such as conservation of volume (33.2%) and proportional reasoning (21.2%), was significantly lower. Notably, critical reasoning skills like identification and control of variables (17.9%), probabilistic thinking (17.9%), and hypothetical-deductive reasoning (17.1%) showed alarmingly low scores. In terms of students’ levels of scientific reasoning skills, the study also recorded that 81.4% of students were functioning at the concrete operational stage, indicating a reliance on concrete experiences and a struggle with abstract reasoning.