Wonder as a Gateway to Science Meaning‐Making: Primary Pupils’ Narrative Journeys

This study explores how wonder fosters transformative learning in science education for pupils (11–12 years old), creating meaning about cycles in nature. As an emotional and epistemic trigger, wonder may bridge everyday experiences with abstract scientific concepts by stimulating curiosity and creativity. Through a narrative writing task, the pupils ( n = 43) in this study were encouraged to wonder and imagine as part of inquiry‐based activities with various representations. The data material was collected as part of a project investigating multilingual students’ participation in science in diverse classes; however, wonder emerged as a dimension highly relevant for all the pupils in the classroom. Thus, this study focuses on how L1 learners in diverse science classrooms create meaning and narrative texts involving ecological concepts related to constructing a Bottle Garden from three pupils are analysed. The case study examines how dimensions of wonder can foster meaning‐making for pupils in diverse classrooms, regardless of their background. A qualitative content analysis identified expressions of wonder based on a conceptual framework emphasising awareness, excitement and exploration. The findings revealed that the pupils expressed wonder through insight, surprise, emotions, motivation and bricolages of subject knowledge and imagination. Entering the abstract science processes by wonder seemed to foster personal meaning‐making by connecting scientific terms with sensory and everyday experiences. Despite misconceptions, pupils engaged deeply, showing emerging understanding. The study concludes that integrating consciousness to wonder in science education may enhance curiosity, support transformative learning and empower all learners to explore and make sense of complex concepts creatively and critically.