This study examines first graders' epistemic reasoning, in tacit “practical epistemologies”
reflected in thinking about an investigation of their own design. I analyzed children's …

Both explanation and exploration can foster causal learning, yet the mechanisms underlying
these effects are largely unknown, especially in early childhood. In this article, I provide an …

This paper explores the scientific reasoning of 14 children across their first two years of
primary school. Children's view of experimentation, their approach to exploration, and their …

Do social cognition and epistemological understanding promote elementary school
children's experimentation skills? To investigate this question, 402 children (ages 8, 9, and …

We identify three aspects of scientific thinking beyond the control-of-variables strategy that
we claim are essential for students to master as a foundation for skilled scientific thinking …

Scientific reasoning involves a person's ability to think and act in ways that help advance
their understanding of the natural world. Young children are naturally inclined to engage in …

This article explores how students' epistemological ideas about the nature of science
interact with their conceptual understanding of a particular domain, as reflected in written …

Scientific thinking and reasoning have traditionally been challenges for both teachers and
students. So much so that there has been speculation as to whether human behavior can be …

This article explores ways of characterizing different dimensions and levels of scientific
reasoning in early elementary school children, in the context of open explorations. The …

Identifying the developmental origins of scientific thinking, as well as its endpoint, provides
an essential framework for understanding its development. The origins of scientific thinking …