This paper introduces the Systems-Integrative Learner (SIL), a structural theory of human learning that defines development as the stabilization of coherence under increasing integrative load, rather than as the accumulation of knowledge or skills. SIL models learning as a constrained, non-linear developmental process governed by an internal Coherence Integration Kernel (CIK)—the functional architecture that binds perception, cognition, relational modeling, and identity into a unified system. Learning advancement occurs through discontinuous phase transitions between stable coherence bands (SIL-1 through SIL-7), each representing the maximum complexity a learner can integrate without fragmentation. The paper formalizes: a structural definition of learning based on coherence stabilization, the functional role of the CIK in regulating contradiction tolerance and cross-domain integration, a recursive learning loop governing perception, deconstruction, mapping, testing, integration, and re-perception, and a set of developmental constraints explaining why learning capacity does not scale uniformly across individuals or domains. SIL is positioned as a human developmental architecture, grounded in and extending neo-Piagetian and postformal developmental theories, while remaining independent of applied domains or artificial intelligence analogies. Subsequent work will address assessment, relational dynamics, and applied extensions.
Peter Brunzelle (Tue,) studied this question.