A Reflection on the Place of Students' Sense of Wonder in the Classroom: An Exploration of Primary School Teachers' Perspectives

10.22055/edus.2025.50246.3789
Volume 33, Issue 2
September 2026
Pages 177-194

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran.

Abstract
This research aimed to reflect on the position of students' sense of wonder in the classroom by exploring the perspectives of elementary school teachers. To achieve the research goal, a systematic qualitative approach and grounded theory method have been used. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Semi-structured interviews with 11 teachers were conducted until the data were saturated. An in-depth analysis of qualitative data using thematic coding led to the discovery and classification of three main themes and eleven sub-themes, including the constituent factors encompassing the dimensions of teachers, parents, schools, and curricula; barriers to growth and development involving dimensions of reduced connection with nature, dominance of the technological world, the nature of new education, and attitudes towards the world; and finally, the category of the consequences of cultivating a sense of wonder, encompassing educational-pedagogical, emotional-affective, and spiritual dimensions. In terms of the level of importance and the criterion of repetition in the perspective of participants, the role and position of the teacher holds the highest credibility. Ultimately, this research, while possessing the capability of raising awareness, can serve as a practical guide for evoking a sense of wonder in the classroom. Additionally, educational policymakers can implement appropriate conditions and educational policies to strengthen and institutionalize these dimensions.

Keywords

Avari, S., Hosenikhah, A., & Ali Asgari, M. (2022). Explaining nature-based curriculum elements for elementary school: A qualitative study. Research in Teaching, 10(3), 103–142.
Bianchi, L. (2014). The keys to wonder-rich science learning. In K. Egan, A. Cant, & G. Judson (Eds.), Wonder-full education: The centrality of wonder in teaching and learning across the curriculum (pp. 190–203). Routledge.
Bjerknes, A. L., Wilhelmsen, T., & Foyn-Bruun, E. (2024). A systematic review of curiosity and wonder in natural science and early childhood education research. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 38(1), 50-65. https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2023.2192249
Bonnett, M. (2007). Environmental education and the issue of nature. J. Curr. Stud, 39, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220270701447149
Conijn, J. M., Rietdijk, W., Broekhof, E., Andre, L., & Schinkel, A. (2022). A theoretical framework and questionnaire for wonder-full education. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 54(3), 423-444. https ://doi. org/10 .1080 /00220272.2021.1942992
Di Paolantonio, M. (2019). Wonder guarding against thoughtlessness in education. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 38(3), 213–228. https ://doi. org/10.1007/s11217-018-9626-3
D’Olimpio, L. (2020). Education and the arts: Inspiring wonder. In A. Schinkel (Ed.), wonder, education, and human flourishing: Theoretical, empirical, and practical perspectives (256–270). VU University Press.
Egan, K. (2014). Wonder, awe, and teaching techniques. In K. Egan, A. Cant, & G. Judson (Eds.), Wonder-full education: The centrality of wonder in teaching and learning across the curriculum (pp. 149–161). Routledge.
Farzollahi Zanjani, M., Sarmadi, M. R., & Azizinejad, B. (2025). Designing the Aesthetic Model of Education Based on Richard Rorty’s view and Criticizing It Based on the Fundamental Reform Document of Education. Journal of Educational Sciences, 32(1), 209-224. https://doi.org/ 10.22055/edus.2025.48145.3667 [Persian]
Falahati Najad, F., Mehdizadeh, A., Gholtash, A., Araghieh, A., & Faghiharam, B. (2023). Designing a Teaching-Learning Model for Secondary Elementary Students (Case Study of Tehran). Research in Teaching, 11(1), 65-40. https://doi.org/10.22034/trj.2023.62722 [Persian]
Fazeli, N. (2022). Death of the school or the Subject?. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 17(66), 5-40. https://doi.org/20.1001.1.17354986.1401.17.66.2.2 [Persian]
Fleming, D. (2014). An educational leadership perspective: Managing and revealing the DNA of wonder in teaching and learning. In K. Egan, A. Cant, & G. Judson (Eds.), Wonder-full education: The centrality of wonder in teaching and learning across the curriculum (pp. 178–189). Routledge.
Geller, G., Caldwell, M., & Merritt, M. W. (2018). The cultivation of wonder in the premedical learning environment: nurturing ethical character in the early formation of health professionals. Journal of College and Character, 19(3), 229–235. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/2194587X.2018.1481100
Gess, N. (2019). Staunen: eine Poetik [wonder: a poetics]. Wallstein Verlag.
Guttesen, K., & Kristjánsson, K. (2024). Character education, poetry, and wonderment: retrospective reflections on implementing a poetry programme in a secondary-school setting in Iceland. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 68(4), 803-823.‏ https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2023.2192737
Hadzigeorgiou, Y., & Schulz, R. M. (2019). Engaging students in science: the potential role of ‘narrative thinking’ and ‘romantic understanding’. Frontiers in Education, 4(38). https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00038
Hadzigeorgiou, Y. (2014). Reclaiming the value of wonder in science education. In K. Egan, A. Cant, & G. Judson (Eds.), Wonder-full education: The centrality of wonder in teaching and learning across the curriculum (pp. 40–65). Routledge.
Hadzigeorgiou, Y. (2020). Wonder: Its nature and its role in the learning process. In A. Schinkel (Ed.), Wonder, education, and human flourishing: Theoretical, empirical, and practical perspectives (185–211). VU University Press.
Heard, G., & McDonough, J. (2009). A place for wonder: Reading and writing nonfiction in the primary grades. Stenhouse Publishers.
Krebs, D., & Zvi, G. (2020). The genius hour guidebook: Fostering passion, wonder, and inquiry in the classroom (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Miller, S. K. (2019). Restoring wonder: The benefits and challenges of doing philosophy in mixed-aged groups. In T. E. Wartenberg (Ed.), Philosophy in classrooms and beyond: New approaches to picture-book philosophy: Big ideas for young thinkers. Rowman & Littlefield.
Marzooghi, R. (2023). Fundamentals and principles of education. Tehran: Avaye Noor. [Persian]
Mountbatten-O’Malley, E. (2024). Lost in wonder: a response to Schinkel’s ‘deep’wonder in education. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 58(4), 477-494. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopedu/qhae026
Naqibzadeh, M. A. (2024). A Look at the Philosophy of Education. Tehran: Tahouri. [Persian]
Primicias, J. (2023). Fostering a sense of wonder: Promoting experiential learning through outdoor discoveries on the coast of Maine [Honors thesis, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga].
Pourkarimi, J., Azizi, M., & Mousavi, S. H. (2024). Providing Self-Development Competencies Model of Teachers (A meta-synthesis study). Journal of Educational Sciences, 31(2), 79-108. https://doi.org/ 10.22055/edus.2024.46244.3571 [Persian]
Pourkarimi, M., & Ramezani Fini, M. (2024). Edoucation, Thriving and Instruction: The relationships and How to Apply These Concepts in Educational Practice. Journal of Educational Sciences, 31(1), 75-102. https://doi.org/10.22055/edus.2024.45691.3545 [Persian]
Ramirez, G. T., & Olson, M. T. (2023). Introduction to learning theories. Translator: Ali Akbar Saif. Tehran: Douran. [Persian]
Ridge, N., & Kippels, S. (2019). UNESCO, Education, and the Private Sector: A Relationship on Whose Terms? In Researching the Global Education Industry. Palgrave Macmillan.
Saeedi, M. (2023). Inquiry of Rudolf Steiner's Educational Approach and Its Implications for the Elementary Schools' Curriculum of Islamic Republic of Iran: A Mixed Method Research. Doctoral thesis in Philosophy of Education, Shiraz University. [Persian]
Saeedi, M. (2024). Critical Analysis of New Elementary School Teachers' Understanding of the Concept of "Education": A Phenomenological Study. Journal of Curriculum Research, 14(1), 59-82. https://doi.org/10.22099/jcr.2024.7629 [Persian]
Saeedi, M. (2024). Art and aesthetics in school: Implications of Rudolf Steiner's view in Waldorf schools. Quarterly Journal of Education Studies, 10(38), 42-53. https://researchbt.cfu.ac.ir/article_3806.html?lang=en [Persian]
Saeedi, M. (2024). Identifying Effective Teacher Competencies in Elementary Schools. Journal of Educational Sciences, 31(1), 259-284. https://doi.org/10.22055/edus.2024.46738.3591 [Persian]
Schinkel, A. (2019). Wonder, mystery, and meaning. Philosophical Papers, 48(2), 293-319. https://doi.org/10.1080/05568641.2018.1462667
Schinkel, A. (2020). Education as mediation between child and world: The role of wonder. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 39(5), 479-492.‏ https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11217-019-09687-8
Schinkel, A., Wolbert, L., Pedersen, J. B., & de Ruyter, D. J. (2023). Human Flourishing, Wonder, and Education. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 42(2), 143-162.‏ http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11217-022-09851-7
Shukuhi, Gh. (1402). Fundamentals and Principles of Education. Tehran: Beh-Nashr. [Persian]
Shores, J., Daniel, B., & Faircloth, W. B. (2024). The Experience of Inspiration in Natural Landscapes: Awe, Wonder, Sublimity, and Bergson's Qualitative Multiplicity. Journal of Experiential Education, 47(2), 256-274. https://doi.org/10.1177/10538259231205291
Walsh, R. (2018). Sense and wonder: Complexity and the limits of narrative understanding. In R. Walsh & S. Stepney (Eds.), Narrating complexity (pp. 49–60). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64714-2_5
Washington, H. (2018). Education for wonder. Education Sciences, 8(3), 125. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8030125
Wilson, R. A. (2010). Aesthetics and a sense of wonder. Exchange: The Early Childhood Leaders' Magazine, (193), 24–26.
Wolbert, L., & Schinkel, A. (2021). What should schools do to promote wonder? Oxford Review of Education, 47(4), 439–454. https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2020.1856648