The Contribution of Prompt Engineering with Large Language Models to the Development of Scientific Reasoning Skills in Physics Courses


Published: Apr 19, 2026
Keywords:
Large Language Models (LLMs) problem solving prompt engineering scientific reasoning skills
Antonios Matsigkos
https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1399-3582
Georgios Kritikos
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1390-977X
Abstract

This research examines the role of prompt engineering with Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT-4, as a learning tool for developing scientific reasoning skills and enhancing the ability to solve Physics problems for secondary school students. The main goal of the research is to integrate artificial intelligence models into traditional teaching methods, as "supporters" of learning in a student-centered environment. Utilizing prompt engineering strategies such as the chain of thought (CoT), the aim is to strengthen students' critical thinking and understanding of fundamental principles of Physics.

Article Details
  • Section
  • Προφορικές Ανακοινώσεις
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Bender, E. M., Gebru, T., McMillan-Major, A., & Shmitchell, S. (2021). On the dangers of stochastic parrots: Can language models be too big?. Στο Proceedings of the 2021 ACM conference on fairness, accountability, and transparency, σσ. 610-623. https://doi.org/10.1145/3442188.3445922
Bubeck, S., Chandrasekaran, V., Eldan, R., Gehrke, J., Horvitz, E., Kamar, E., ... & Zhang, Y. (2023). Sparks of artificial general intelligence: Early experiments with gpt-4. arXiv preprint arXiv:2303.12712. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2303.12712
Chen, Z., & Klahr, D. (1999). All other things being equal: Acquisition and transfer of the control of variables strategy. Child development, 70(5), 1098-1120.https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00081
Chi, M. T., Feltovich, P. J., & Glaser, R. (1981). Categorization and representation of physics problems by experts and novices. Cognitive science, 5(2), 121-152. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0364021381800298
Jiang, Z., & Jiang, M. (2024). Beyond answers: Large language model-powered tutoring system in physics education for deep learning and precise understanding. arXiv preprint arXiv:2406.10934. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2406.10934
Larkin, J. H., & Simon, H. A. (1987). Why a diagram is (sometimes) worth ten thousand words. Cognitive science, 11(1), 65-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0364-0213(87)80026-5
Lawson, A. E. (1978). The development and validation of a classroom test of formal reasoning. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 15(1), 11-24. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.3660150103
Lawson, A. E. (2000). The generality of hypothetico-deductive reasoning: Making scientific thinking explicit. The American Biology Teacher, 62(7), 482-495. https://doi.org/10.2307/4450956
MacIsaac, D. (2023). Chatbots attempt physics homework—chatgpt: Chat generative pre-trained transformer. The Physics Teacher, 61(4), 318-318. https://doi.org/10.1119/10.0017700
Polya, G. (2014). How to solve it: A new aspect of mathematical method. Princeton university press. ISBN: 9780691164076
Sahoo, P., Singh, A. K., Saha, S., Jain, V., Mondal, S., & Chadha, A. (2024). A systematic survey of prompt engineering in large language models: Techniques and applications. arXiv preprint arXiv:2402.07927. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2402.07927
Wei, J., Wang, X., Schuurmans, D., Bosma, M., Xia, F., Chi, E., ... & Zhou, D. (2022). Chain-of-thought prompting elicits reasoning in large language models. Advances in neural information processing systems, 35, 24824-24837. https://proceedings.neurips.cc/paper_files/paper/2022/file/9d5609613524ecf4f15af0f7b31abca4-Paper-Conference.pdf
White, J., Hays, S., Fu, Q., Spencer-Smith, J., & Schmidt, D. C. (2024). Chatgpt prompt patterns for improving code quality, refactoring, requirements elicitation, and software design. In Generative AI for Effective Software Development, σσ. 71-108. Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-55642-5
Yeadon, W., Inyang, O. O., Mizouri, A., Peach, A., & Testrow, C. P. (2023). The death of the short-form physics essay in the coming AI revolution. Physics Education, 58(3), 035027. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2212.11661
Zimmerman, C. (2007). The development of scientific thinking skills in elementary and middle school. Developmental review, 27(2), 172-223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2006.12.001