The Effectiveness of the Knowledge Reconstruction Strategy on Critical Thinking Skills in Physics among Female Students

Abstract

The current research aimed to determine the effectiveness of the "knowledge reconstruction" strategy on critical thinking skills in physics among fourth-year scientific stream female students. This was achieved by testing the null hypothesis: "There is no statistically significant difference at the (0.05) level between the mean scores of the experimental group students—who studied physics using the knowledge reconstruction strategy—and the mean scores of the control group students—who studied using the conventional method—on the critical thinking skills test." The study was delimited to fourth-year scientific stream students at Al-Orouba Preparatory School for Girls (affiliated with the Al-Qadisiyah Education Directorate) during the 2025–2026 academic year and focused on the fourth-year scientific stream physics curriculum. The researcher randomly selected two out of four fourth-year scientific stream classes; the total sample size was 80 students, divided into an experimental group (40 students) and a control group (40 students). The two groups were equated on variables including chronological age (in months), intelligence, and prior knowledge. To ensure the study's validity, the researcher prepared 48 lesson plans: 24 for the experimental group (using the proposed strategy) and 24 for the control group (using the conventional method). Additionally, the researcher developed a 45-item critical thinking skills test and verified its validity and reliability. The experiment was conducted during the 2025–2026 academic year, spanning eight weeks with three lessons per week for each group. ...experimental and control groups). Following the conclusion of the experiment, the data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results demonstrated the superiority of the experimental group students—who were taught using the knowledge reconstruction strategy—over the control group students—who were taught using the conventional method—in the critical thinking skills test. Furthermore, a set of recommendations and suggestions was presented.