Scientific reasoning promotes elementary school science learning: A longitudinal study

This longitudinal study investigates how early scientific reasoning relates to the development of science knowledge from kindergarten through elementary school. We followed 161 children recruited from urban and rural regions in southern Germany (89 girls, 72 boys, aged 6.12 years ± 4.04 months; 11% spoke a language other than German at home) over 5 years, assessing competencies annually, starting in 2014. Scientific reasoning was assessed with the Science-Kindergarten Inventory (SK-I) and the Science-Primary School Reasoning Inventory (SPR-I), targeting experimentation, data interpretation, and understanding the nature of science. Science knowledge was measured with tasks on melting, evaporation, density, and displacement. Controlling for cognitive abilities, language, and socio-educational background, results show that scientific reasoning in kindergarten predicts later gains in science knowledge. These findings highlight the foundational role of scientific reasoning in domain-specific learning across middle childhood.