explanatory gestalt of essence

Categories: Site glossary

describes how familiarity with some phenomena leads to them being perceived as taken for granted and so 'just natural' (and so not needing any explanation)

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Alternative Meanings:
  • explanatory gestalt of essence
    the tendency of students to see some things as 'just natural' and not needing explanation, presumably because long familiarity (perhaps since young) with a phenomenon means they have long simply associated a property with a kind of object or event and no longer see it as needing explanation

Author: Keith

Former school and college science teacher, teacher educator, research supervisor, and research methods lecturer. Emeritus Professor of Science Education at the University of Cambridge.