Children’s understanding of scientific inquiry: The role of instructional support and comparison making.

Abstract

The objective of the current study was to identify an effective learning environment for kindergarten students as they acquire an initial understanding of scientific inquiry activities (SIA) and a simple (idealized) scientific inquiry cycle (SIC). The study aimed to examine (a) the effects of instructional support and (b) the role of similarity across scientific phenomena illustrating the SIA/SIC in helping children acquire an initial understanding. The study used a randomized group treatment design with children aged 5-6 years (N = 231). Similarity of scientific phenomena and specificity of instructional support related to the SIA/SIC were systematically varied across conditions. Results indicated that SIA/SIC-specific instructional support provided shortterm benefits to children's knowledge about SIA and the SIC. In addition, results suggested that similarity of scientific phenomena interacted differentially with children's prior knowledge. More knowledgeable students benefited from variation in their understanding of the SIA/SIC, while similarity helped less knowledgeable children improve their content knowledge. Educational Impact and Implications StatementThis study highlights the effectiveness of explicit instructional support focused on scientific inquiry activities (SIA) and the science inquiry cycle for children aged 5-6. The findings suggest that such targeted teaching approaches can promote a deeper understanding of the process and objectives of scientific inquiry, without compromising content knowledge. This research invites educators to rethink traditional hands-on pedagogical methods, emphasizing the importance of guiding children toward viewing science as an intentional process of information seeking, characterized by inquiry and iterative question development. Moreover, the findings underscore the potential benefit of early introduction to SIA. This study also notes the interplay between the design of learning environments, the variability of examples used, and children's prior knowledge, factors which should be carefully balanced in early science education.