Investigating students’ scientific thinking process during online inquiry learning: a process mining approach

Scientific thinking is a critical mental process in education, one that relies on investigation, hypothesis development, and critical evaluation. This study explores how scientific thinking evolves during online scientific inquiry, specifically examining students’ use of logic and systematic inquiry strategies to ask questions, gather data, analyse data, and draw conclusions. Using process mining, the research identified effective patterns in scientific thinking by analysing learning process data, offering insights into the cognitive processes underlying students’ learning behaviours. A total of 143 fifth-grade students participated in a science inquiry learning module and completed a science inquiry competency test afterward. Three scientific thinking patterns were identified: proficiency from the start, revision after failure, and stagnation. Students demonstrating proficiency from the start achieved the highest learning performance. Furthermore, high-performing students were more likely to adopt the revision after failure pattern when faced with initial setbacks compared to their low-performing peers. The study underscores the importance of understanding the scientific thinking process in science inquiry learning, with implications for enhancing instructional design to support student learning.