How We Simplify, Circumvent, or Distort Causal Mechanistic Reasoning in Chemistry

Calls for reform in science and chemistry education emphasize the importance of engaging students in building causal-mechanistic explanations of relevant phenomena. However, mechanistic reasoning (MER) is cognitively taxing and may not be the most productive approach in all types of tasks and contexts. Consequently, it is common for chemistry educators to simplify or circumvent MER when building explanations. This commentary briefly describes and discusses some common MER shortcuts that chemistry educators use and their potential effects on student learning.