Faces and phases of epistemic curiosity in science learning: A longitudinal study

Abstract

Curiosity is central to children's development, particularly in science learning. This longitudinal study examines how epistemic curiosity, overall and its subtypes I-type and D-type, predicts scientific reasoning and science (physics) knowledge at the start (Grade 1) and end (Grades 3–4) of primary school, beyond prior knowledge and cognitive abilities. Parents of 122 children (mean age 6.12 years) completed an 11-item curiosity questionnaire. Scientific reasoning and science knowledge were assessed with standardized inventories and a 25-item physics test. Overall curiosity predicted early reasoning, whereas I-type curiosity predicted later science knowledge. These findings highlight that curiosity has distinct faces and phases: I-type and D-type operate differently at different developmental time points. Fostering both types supports multiple aspects of science competence.