Exploring the Classroom: Teaching Science in Early Childhood*

Abstract

This study tested and integrated the effects of an inquiry-based didactic method for preschool science in a real practical classroom setting. Four preschool classrooms participated in the experiment (N = 57) and the children were 4-6 years old. In order to assess children's attention for causal events and their understanding at the level of scientific reasoning skills, we designed a simple task in which a need for information gain was created. Compared to controls, children in the post-test showed significant learning gains in the development of the so-called control of variables strategy. Indeed, they executed more informative and less uninformative explorations during their spontaneous play. Furthermore, the importance of such programmes was discussed in the field of STEM education.

Analysis of Kindergarten Teachers on Pedagogical Content Knowledge

“…Sutriani and Ima stated that the teacher chose a learning strategy to brought animals to school in real time, so the school was also a fun place for learning through concrete things. This was consistent with the opinion (Dejonckheere et al, 2016) that teachers must design an environment where learning activities so that children are able to explore yesterday.…”

“…The pedagogical knowledge of early childhood teachers is one of the determinants of success in learning (Figueiredo et al, 2018). Inan (2010) revealed that the factors that affect the success of early childhood education include the teachers' competence, material, methods, learning strategies, the suitability of lessons with the level of child development, and environment designed by teachers so that the children are able to explore (Dejonckheere et al, 2016). All of these factors are part of the PCK components (Aksu & Kul, 2017;Inan, 2010;Zhang, 2015).…”

The Attitude of Primary School Teachers towards STEM Education

“…Female teachers, on the other hand, are found to have a greater awareness and desire to teach STEM compared to male teachers [19]. Nevertheless, most prior research is consistent with the results of this current study; with no significant differences by gender [11]. Gender aspects were also found to have no significant differences in STEM [5] and no relevance to gender aspects in STEM [9].…”

The Effects of STEM Training on the Academic Achievement of 4th Graders in Science and Mathematics and their Views on STEM Training

“…In addition to advancing their knowledge in each field of STEM, it is crucial for students to also see the relations between them and thus become creative, analytical and critical thinkers and problem solvers. Improving these skills, especially in primary and pre-school, increasing the interest in future STEM careers (Dejonckheere, Wit, Keere & Vervaet, 2016). It is worth noting that STEM training is particularly influential in elementary school (Becker & Park, 2011;Murphy & Mancini-Samuelson, 2012;Lamb, et al, 2015), and the lack of studies in Turkey at this level means that the results of the present study will contribute significantly to the literature.…”