Scientific thinking is defined as the application of the methods or principles of scientific
inquiry to reasoning or problem-solving situations, and involves the skills implicated in
generating, testing and revising theories, and in the case of fully developed skills, to reflect
on the process of knowledge acquisition and change (Koslowski, 1996; Kuhn & Franklin,
2006; Wilkening & Sodian, 2005). Participants engage in some or all of the components of
scientific inquiry, such as designing experiments, evaluating evidence and making inferences
in the service of forming and/or revising theories about the phenomenon under
investigation.