A Learning Progression for Feedback Loop Reasoning at Lower Elementary Level

Abstract

This study examines to what extent elementary students use feedback loop reasoning, a key component of systems thinking, to reason about interactions among organisms in ecosystems. We conducted clinical interviews with 44 elementary students (1st through 4th grades). We asked students to explain how populations change in two contexts: a sustainable ecosystem and an ecosystem that is missing predators. We used an iterative process to develop a learning progression for feedback loop reasoning, and used the learning progression to code interview episodes. The study produces three findings. First, very few students recognised the cyclical relationships among populations in a sustainable ecosystem (Level 7). Second, very few students identified both reproduction and food as the factors affecting population in a context missing predators (Level 4). Finally, students' reasoning was inconsistent across the two contexts. We also discuss the implication of these findings for teaching and learning of food webs at elementary school.

A learning progression should address regression: Insights from developing non‐linear reasoning in ecology

“…Accordingly, no food chain or food web structure would be ever possible. Linear, one‐way causal thinking has been reported to dominate reasoning patterns across age cohorts and grades or education levels (Eilam, ; Hogan, ; Hokayem et al, ). Even educators were found to not adequately address prey–predator systems (Wilensky & Reisman, ), which exemplifies that the development of non‐linear reasoning in that field of ecology is far from certain.…”

“…At least two elements are indispensable to establish non‐linear reasoning in the case of prey–predator systems (Booth Sweeny & Sterman, ; Hokayem et al, ). First, learners need to acknowledge that predation would act upon the predator itself before eliminating all prey.…”

“…Although previous research has started to outline lower and upper anchors as well as potential intermediate steps of learning progressions (LPs) for developing non‐linear reasoning in ecology (e.g., Hokayem, Ma, & Jin, ), much work remains to be done in this direction to provide empirical evidence (e.g., Duncan & Rivet, ), identify alternative learner pathways (e.g., Neumann, Viering, Boone, & Fischer, ; Stevens, Delgado, & Krajcik, ), and align curriculum, instruction, and assessment (e.g., Duncan & Hmelo‐Silver, ; Duschl, Maeng, & Sezen, ). Previous research characterized intermediate steps in LPs as “messy middles” to denote the coexistence of scientifically accurate and inaccurate aspects (Gotwals & Songer, ).…”

A Measurement Model of Gestures in an Embodied Learning Environment: Accounting for Temporal Dependencies

“…Interviews were videotaped and took 30 minutes on average. The pre-and post-tutorial questions were adapted from Hokayem, Ma, and Jin (2015). To score the answers, we used an adaptation of Hokayem et al's coding scheme, which includes seven complexity levels of reasoning about predation dynamics.…”

Developing a Four-level Learning Progression and Assessment for the Concept of Buoyancy

“…Mayes, Forrester, Christus, Peterson, Bonilla, & Yestness (2014) investigated the ability of middle and high school students to engage in quantitative reasoning within the context of environmental science. Hokayem, Ma, & Jin (2015) examined how feedback constitutes loop reasoning, the main component of systems thinking, used by elementary students for the reasoning of interactions among organisms in ecosystems.…”