The role of effective learning environments in preschool children’s understanding of the scientific inquiry cycle
Final Report Abstract
Scientific literacy comprises two central knowledge components: conceptual knowledge and process-related knowledge, i.e. knowledge of how scientific findings are generated. The latter includes knowledge about scientific inquiry steps, such as predicting, testing, and interpreting, as well as understanding the interplay of these steps in the scientific inquiry cycle. First findings from school indicate that the mere use of thinking and working methods is not sufficient to foster process-related knowledge. Instead, they must be specifically addressed. However, it is unclear whether preschool children can already develop initial process-related knowledge and how they can be supported hereby. What is challenging is that children need to abstract from the concrete content such as magnets or specific animals that they are investigating, and identify commonalities in the inquiry process across the different content. One crucial instructional strategy for developing generalized knowledge is to stimulate comparisons. However, it is unclear whether it is more beneficial for children to recognize commonalities in the scientific inquiry process when they compare similar or dissimilar contents. The project focused on the questions of whether explicitly addressing how to proceed when exploring science content promotes process-based knowledge (RQ 1) and whether the effect differs when children compare conceptually (dis)similar scientific phenomena (RQ 2). We compared three groups with interventions with a baseline group that participated only in the pre and post-tests. In all three groups, children received instructional support with respect to learning the selected content. However, only two groups received instructional support about the scientific inquiry process, so here scientific inquiry steps were not only used but also explicitly addressed (see RQ 1). These two groups differed in the (dis)similarity of the selected content (see RQ 2). The results show that already preschool children are able to acquire process-related knowledge in a science learning environment but only if the process is explicitly thematized (RQ 1). In particular, the comparison of dissimilar examples seems to be helpful (RQ 2). The results provide essential information for the further development of science education in preschools.
Publications
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Nicht nur was, sondern auch wie! Naturwissenschaftliche Bildung umfasst beides: Wissen über Konzepte und die Erkenntnisgewinnung [Not only what, but also how! Science education encompasses both: knowledge about concepts and the acquisition of knowledge]. KiTa aktuell spezial, 4
Mohr, J. & Steffensky, M.
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Vermuten, überprüfen, schlussfolgern - Welche Lernumgebungen eignen sich für die Entwicklung eines ersten generalisierten Wissens über naturwissenschaftliche Denk- und Arbeitsweisen? [Assuming, testing, concluding - Which learning environments are suitable for developing an initial generalised knowledge of scientific inquiry?] Poster presentation on the Annual Forum of Education Policy (Bildungspolitisches Forum, BPF). Digital conference, 28.10.2021
Dominke, H.; Mohr, J.; Schmerse, D. & Steffensky, M.
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Die Rolle wirksamer Lerngelegenheiten für Kindergarten-Kinder zum Verständnis des Forschungszyklus [The role of effective learning environments for preschool children in understanding the scientific inquiry cycle.] Paper Presentation at the conference of the Society for Empirical Educational Research (Gesellschaft für Empirische Bildungsforschung, GEBF). Bamberg, 09.-11.03.2022
Schmerse, D.; Dominke, H.; Mohr, J. & Steffensky, M.
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Effective Learning Environments to Support Preschool Children's Understanding of the Scientific Inquiry Cycle (LESIC). Paper Presentation on the conference of the Special Interest Group on "Learning and Development in Early Childhood" (SIG 5) of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instructions (EARLI). Utrecht, 12.-14.07.2022
Dominke, H.; Mohr, J.; Schmerse, D. & Steffensky, M.
