Cognitive Conflict and Critical Thinking Skills in Science Education: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Critical thinking is an essential competency in science education because it enables students to analyze information, evaluate evidence, draw inferences, and make reasoned decisions. Cognitive conflict—arising when students’ prior conceptions encounter information or phenomena inconsistent with their existing understanding—may provide opportunities to reconsider explanations and examine evidence. This review examines (1) how cognitive conflict strategies have been designed and implemented to support critical thinking in science education, (2) how critical thinking has been operationalized and assessed, and (3) opportunities and challenges associated with integrating Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and adaptive learning. The study uses a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) with narrative synthesis. Sixteen articles were mapped for the period October 10, 2016–October 10, 2026. The mapped literature includes studies on cognitive conflict in physics education, instructional media development, critical thinking assessment, conceptual change, and GenAI use. The preliminary synthesis indicates that cognitive conflict has been integrated into inquiry learning, discovery learning, interactive multimedia, e-books, augmented reality, and educational websites. However, only a small subset of the mapped studies directly measured critical thinking, while others focused on conceptual understanding, misconception remediation, scientific literacy, creativity, or product development. The GenAI literature provides contextual insights into personalization and the risk of reduced cognitive engagement, but does not establish the effectiveness of integrating GenAI with cognitive conflict in physics education. The review identifies a need to align cognitive conflict activities with measurable critical thinking indicators and to evaluate GenAI as a scaffold.