From talk to networked reasoning: bridging inquiry discourse and epistemic patterns of investigation

Abstract

Science learning in elementary school ideally fosters scientific thinking through meaningful experiences, but learning practices are still often oriented to memorization so that inquiry dialogues that record students’ reasoning questions have not been optimally utilized to map the development of scientific thinking. A research gap exists: most studies either describe “science talk” or focus on individual elements of scientific thinking, but few model how these elements such as questioning, explanation, and reasoning are interconnected as a dynamic, visualizable epistemic structure. This study aims to address this gap by analyzing the dynamics of inquiry dialogue among elementary students in science learning based on local wisdom at Rumah Tuan Kadi, Pekanbaru. The method used is qualitative descriptive design; Participants totaled 20 students who were divided into four groups (5 students each) with different inquiry focuses (stairs, ventilation, structure, lighting); The main data is in the form of audio video recordings of inquiry discussions (after context exploration through virtual media), transcribed verbatim, segmented into utterance, then encoded (Q, E, R, I, S, D, Rf, Ev) and analyzed using ENA to map the strength of connections between codes. The findings show a gradual development pattern from reasoning centered networks to inquiry driven, reflective synthesis, to evidence based reflective networks, with Explanation–Reasoning–Investigation–Reflection connections as markers of the maturity of scientific thinking. These results contribute to a model of students’ epistemic development in contextual inquiry as well as provide pedagogical implications for a more dialogical and reflective design of local culture based science learning. Furthermore, the epistemic network analysis approach demonstrated here provides an analytical framework for understanding students’ reasoning development in nanoscience and nanotechnology education, where complex, multi step investigations similarly demand the integration of questioning, explanation, investigation, and evidence based reflection.