Scientific and academic achievements of preservice science teachers in twelve given-desired problem types

Problem solving is a core cognitive skill in science education and an essential pedagogical tool for developing higher-order thinking in preservice science teachers (PSTs). This study investigates the effects of a structured five-step problem-solving strategy, supported by scaffolding, on PSTs' scientific and academic achievement across twelve distinct given–desired physics problem types. A total of 72 PSTs participated in a three-phase instructional design involving diagnosis, guided intervention, and independent performance. Data were collected through nine domain-specific assessment tools and analysed using ratio-based and probabilistic scoring methods to capture both cognitive process and outcome accuracy. Results indicate that the integration of scaffolding significantly enhances conceptual clarity, transfer of problem representation skills, and solution precision. By isolating the cognitive contributions of the “Given–Desired” and “Result” steps, the study provides insights into how structured reasoning and support mechanisms improve learning outcomes. These findings hold implications for instructional design in science teacher education and the cognitive modelling of problem-solving expertise. • five-step strategy improves problem structuring in preservice science teachers • scaffolding enhances scientific achievement during problem representation phases • optional desired problems yield higher performance than no optional desired tasks • structured methods reduce gap between conceptual and procedural achievements • scientific gains persist even after scaffolding is removed from instruction