An Exploration into the Process of Scientific Thinking on the part of Young Children as seen through Constructive Play：Focusing on the Cases of the Jaemi Class

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the process of scientific thinking as it is revealed through the cases of constructive play for young children. For this purpose, the researcher observed and interviewed six four-year-olds in the Jaemi Class while recording them with a camcorder during a free choice activity class in the morning from April 23 to June 25, 2012. The observations were analyzed in chronological order according to the changes of theories and structure as presented by the children themselves. The process of scientific thinking in constructive play for young children can be divided into presentation of naive theories, the abandonment of naive theories according to repetitive experiences and the discovery of inconsistency, the representation of alternative theories, and the abandonment of alternative theories according to repetitive experiences and the discovery of contradictions. On the basis of the results, constructive play has proved to serve a valuable educational function by inducing scientific thinking processes in children. On the basis of this finding, the researcher suggests the need to provide appropriate educational support to teachers.