"There Must Be a Cat Nearby": Kindergartners' Reasoning About Action at an Attentional Distance

• In Event: Examining the Possibilities and Limitations of Science Teaching and Learning in Early Childhood and Elementary Contexts

Abstract

Action at an Attentional Distance (A@AD) refers to a complex causal pattern in which the causes and effects reside in different attentional frames. A@AD is changeling to recognize yet particularly relevant for students’ understanding of ecosystem science in which the causal dynamics unfold over vast distances. This qualitative study characterized kindergarteners’ reasoning about A@AD phenomena. Twenty-five kindergarten students participated in two interview sessions where they were asked to explain the causality involved in familiar and unfamiliar scenarios involving A@AD. Emic and etic coding of session videos and transcripts revealed that kindergarteners relied on the familiarity of the context, mechanism knowledge, and available evidence to construct their understanding of A@AD. Implications for instructional design are discussed.

Authors

• S. Lynneth Solis, Harvard University

• Tina A. Grotzer, Harvard University

• Kaley Curtis, Harvard University

• Rosemarie G. Sese, Harvard University

• Evelyn Y. Chen, Taipei American School