Enhancing learning of nanoscale phenomena: the role of agent-based models and embodied reasoning

Abstract Understanding nanoscale phenomena poses significant challenges for students because it requires reasoning about emergent behaviours that are invisible and highly abstract. Agent-based models (ABMs) can function as embodied learning environments, enabling students to manipulate individual agents and observe system-level outcomes while engaging embodied processes such as perspective taking, causal inference, and motor-supported thinking. In this study, two treatment conditions were developed: (a) working with ABMs and (b) watching visualization videos. The aim was to investigate whether ABMs are associated with greater engagement in embodied reasoning strategies than videos, and whether such engagement is associated with conceptual understanding in nanoscience education. Twenty-seven undergraduate students were assigned to one of the two conditions, and their conceptual understanding was assessed through pre- and post-tests alongside process data. Results showed that ABM students demonstrated greater gains in explanatory knowledge, knowledge transfer and engaged more frequently in embodied reasoning strategies. Beyond nanoscience, the findings illustrate how technology-enhanced instructional designs that leverage embodied processes—such as gesture, spatial transformation, and active manipulation—may support students’ reasoning about complex scientific phenomena across STEM domains.