One of the primary goals of the South African National Curriculum is to develop learners who understand the world as a system of interconnected systems, recognising that problem-solving contexts do not exist in isolation. This places a significant responsibility on science teachers to adopt practices that help learners make meaningful conceptual connections. However, it remains unclear how such teaching can be achieved in practice. Drawing on Legitimation Code Theory (LCT), specifically the concept of autonomy codes, this study explores how teachers draw on different forms of knowledge to help learners see science concepts as interconnected. Four lessons on organic chemistry were analysed to identify practices that enabled or constrained such knowledge integration. The findings show that deliberate and dynamic movement across multiple autonomy codes within a lesson created greater opportunities for learners to build interconnected understandings. Moreover, shifts in autonomy codes were influenced by the degree of learner engagement with the content. The study concludes that intentional and reflective teaching practices are necessary for helping learners grasp the interconnected nature of scientific problem-solving. This paper argues that using autonomy codes as a framework can guide educators in realising the curriculum’s overarching goal and contribute to a deeper understanding of effective knowledge-building practices in science education.

Keywords: Science education, organic chemistry, autonomy codes.