“We just don’t know why”: students’ epistemic risk taking in the social construction of an explanation of plate tectonics

Epistemic risk is inherent in the practice of science and can be intimidating for students in classrooms building their science skills. We argue here that science learning must be designed to scaffold epistemic risk that supports students in social knowledge construction. Through the case study of a group of four middle school students and their class working to explain the relationship between earthquakes and volcanoes in relation to the larger theory of plate tectonics, we illustrate students’ engagement in epistemic practices and the scaffolds that enabled them to fully participate in these practices. Our analysis suggests that scaffolding in participant structures, more knowledgeable others, and organizational tools supported students in fully engaging in the epistemic practices of science. Though epistemic risk taking is critical to students’ engagement in epistemic practices, there is a need to attend to the interpersonal and socioemotional influences on students’ epistemic agency, attending to students’ sense of belonging, connectedness, and safety. We advocate for the intentional design of epistemic tools that purposefully include supports for students to navigate epistemic risk.