Mechanistic reasoning in science education: A literature review
Rayendra Wahyu Bachtiar 1 2 * , Ralph F. G. Meulenbroeks 1 , Wouter R. van Joolingen 1
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1 Freudenthal Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, THE NETHERLANDS2 Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, University of Jember, Jember, East Java, INDONESIA* Corresponding Author

Abstract

There is a growing research interest in mechanistic reasoning (MR) in the field of science education, as this type of reasoning is perceived as an essential thinking skill for science education. This literature review synthesized 60 science education studies on MR published from 2006 to 2021. The findings showed three common aspects of conceptualizations of MR in science education: (1) causality in relation to MR, (2) use of entities and their associated activities, and (3) use of entities at (at least) one scale level below the scale level of a target phenomenon. While most of the reviewed studies related the importance of MR to cognitive aspects, a smaller number associated its value with scientific modelling. Three main difficulties in generating MR were categorized: (1) identifying and using unobservable entities, (2) assigning activities to entities, and (3) identifying and using an appropriate number of entities. Various types of support for fostering MR were identified. Implications and future studies are discussed.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Review Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, 2022, Volume 18, Issue 11, Article No: em2178

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/12512

Publication date: 06 Oct 2022

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Article Downloads: 1387

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