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Learning Trajectories for Constructing Mechanistic Explanations and the Role Played by Epistemic Knowledge

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Title: Learning Trajectories for Constructing Mechanistic Explanations and the Role Played by Epistemic Knowledge
Language: English
Authors: Ruth Molad (ORCID 0009-0000-3845-4962), Michal Haskel-Ittah (ORCID 0000-0003-2626-5835)
Source: Science Education. 2026 110(5):1332-1344.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 13
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools
Secondary Education
Grade 10
Grade 11
Descriptors: High School Students, Learning Trajectories, Biology, Epistemology, Grade 10, Grade 11, Knowledge Level, Secondary School Science
DOI: 10.1002/sce.70066
ISSN: 0036-8326
1098-237X
Abstract: Explaining scientific phenomena by unpacking their underlying mechanisms poses many challenges for high-school students. One central challenge is synthesizing the different parts of a mechanism into a coherent whole and identifying what information is still missing, or whether further learning is required. This study investigates how high-school students learn about mechanisms while constructing mechanistic explanations in biology. Using the lens of epistemic cognition, we examined how students navigate information about biological mechanisms during learning, shifting between parts of the mechanism they have already understood and those that remain as black boxes. Sixty-five students from four biology classes (Grades 10 and 11) participated in a group-based inquiry activity designed to uncover the biological mechanism underlying sun tanning. As students freely navigated available information, they made epistemic decisions about which black boxes to unpack and which to leave unexplored. The analysis focuses on students' learning trajectories and the epistemic knowledge that informed these decisions. Our findings identified three distinct learning trajectories, indicating that students may follow different paths when learning about mechanisms. Each trajectory was associated with a particular combination of epistemic knowledge. We propose that these trajectories emerge because students' epistemic knowledge directs their attention to specific black boxes within a mechanism. Consequently, students prioritize the unpacking of different black boxes and thus follow distinct sequences of learning. We discuss the educational significance of these findings and their implications for evaluating incompleteness and supporting the construction of mechanistic explanations.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 20260101
Accession Number: EJ1514417
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Learning Trajectories for Constructing Mechanistic Explanations and the Role Played by Epistemic Knowledge
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ruth+Molad%22">Ruth Molad</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3845-4962">0009-0000-3845-4962</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Michal+Haskel-Ittah%22">Michal Haskel-Ittah</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2626-5835">0000-0003-2626-5835</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Science+Education%22"><i>Science Education</i></searchLink>. 2026 110(5):1332-1344.
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: 13
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
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  Data: 10.1002/sce.70066
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  Data: Explaining scientific phenomena by unpacking their underlying mechanisms poses many challenges for high-school students. One central challenge is synthesizing the different parts of a mechanism into a coherent whole and identifying what information is still missing, or whether further learning is required. This study investigates how high-school students learn about mechanisms while constructing mechanistic explanations in biology. Using the lens of epistemic cognition, we examined how students navigate information about biological mechanisms during learning, shifting between parts of the mechanism they have already understood and those that remain as black boxes. Sixty-five students from four biology classes (Grades 10 and 11) participated in a group-based inquiry activity designed to uncover the biological mechanism underlying sun tanning. As students freely navigated available information, they made epistemic decisions about which black boxes to unpack and which to leave unexplored. The analysis focuses on students' learning trajectories and the epistemic knowledge that informed these decisions. Our findings identified three distinct learning trajectories, indicating that students may follow different paths when learning about mechanisms. Each trajectory was associated with a particular combination of epistemic knowledge. We propose that these trajectories emerge because students' epistemic knowledge directs their attention to specific black boxes within a mechanism. Consequently, students prioritize the unpacking of different black boxes and thus follow distinct sequences of learning. We discuss the educational significance of these findings and their implications for evaluating incompleteness and supporting the construction of mechanistic explanations.
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      – SubjectFull: Biology
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