Developing measures to gauge systems thinking and system dynamics skills in children and adolescent
Monday, July 20, 2026, 11:00 AM
Session: SOC Poster Session (Overflow 2) (In-person)
The field of systems thinking and system dynamics (ST/SD) has grown with numerous efforts across the globe to scale learning earlier in elementary, middle, and high schools. Evidence of system dynamics skill attainment, however, is difficult to measure, and few reliable tools are available. This study proposes a comprehensive, developmentally appropriate survey assessment to gauge system dynamics skills of 5th to 12th-grade students. The assessment connects SD components with ST mental models through a hierarchical scale. Preliminary data were collected from a service-learning project at a St. Louis elementary school.