Physics education research has a long tradition of analyzing and supporting student conceptual understanding of specific physics topics, with electric circuits being no exception. This research seeks to explore a new methodology for how students formally reason with circuits concepts. This new methodology places emphasis on the process of linking concepts and observations together into a logical chain of reasoning using reasoning chain construction tasks, previously reported on in the literature. Additionally, this study builds upon previous research on students' comprehension of circuits and aims to explore how reasoning chain construction tasks can help illuminate students' use of conceptual ideas before and after receiving instruction. As such, this research contributes to the broader field of physics education by offering additional insight into student reasoning patterns, providing educators and researchers with more tools to inform instructional strategies and curriculum design in electric circuits education.