Teaching and learning science during the early years

Over the past two decades, science has increasingly become an integral part of early childhood curricula, and research on teaching and learning science in early years has emerged as an established field of study. Collectively, the findings of a growing body of literature suggest that introducing science in developmentally appropriate ways may support young children’s learning of science concepts and scientific thinking skills. The increasing number of edited volumes and special issues, including this one, devoted to the topic of early childhood science teaching and learning indicates that early science education, as a field of study, will continue to attract researchers from early childhood and science education as well as educational and cognitive psychology

Elementary Preservice Teachers' Conceptual Understandings of the Cause of Moon Phases

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe and understand alternative conceptions and instructional strategies that held promise to promote the learning of scientific concepts. This study focused on the conceptual understandings held by 58 elementary preservice teachers about phases of the moon. Data were obtained for Group 1 participants before and after the completion of an inquiry-based physics course. Data were obtained for Group 2 participants one or more semesters after instruction in the course and for Group 3 participants who received no instruction in the course. The physics course targeted for study used the Physics by Inquiry instructional materials by Lillian McDermott (1996) and her associates. The instructional strategies included recording and analyzing moon observations over time and a psychomotor modeling activity. The method of inquiry for this study followed a qualitative design, involving classroom observations, document analysis, and structured interviews. During the interviews, participants were asked to use three-dimensional models of the sun. Earth, and moon to show while describing their thinking about the cause of moon phases. Inductive data analysis identified patterns and themes in the participants' conceptual understandings of moon phases. Results indicate that without the instruction most elementary preservice teachers were very likely to hold alternative conceptions of the cause of moon phases. Also, participants who had the instruction were much more likely to hold a scientific conceptual understanding shortly after instruction, and many continued to hold a scientific understanding months later. It was concluded that the instruction was effective in promoting desirable conceptual change. Nonetheless, after instruction some participants maintained or added fragments of alternative conceptions while showing many attributes of scientific understanding. The findings provide a basis for suggestions to inform the practice of using psychomotor modeling of moon phases and other suggestions for instructio

Conducting guided inquiry in science classes using authentic, archived, web-based data

Students are often unable to collect the real-time data necessary for conducting inquiry in science classrooms. Web-based, real-time data could, therefore, offer a promising tool for conducting scientific inquiries within classroom environments. This study used a quasi-experimental research design to investigate the effects of inquiry-based instruction coupled with archived online data. Ninety-six preservice teachers in a four-year elementary science teacher-training program participated in this study. The students were enrolled in three sections of the methods course, and these existing groups were randomly assigned to the treatment groups: traditional instruction, traditional instruction supported with a simulation, and inquiry-based instruction with archived online data. Data were collected with structured interviews and analyzed with the constant comparative method and one-way ANOVA. Before the instructional interventions, none of the participants had a scientific understanding of tides, and 15% of the participants had no conceptual understanding of tides at all. After instruction, 72% of the participants who received inquiry-based instruction with archived online data were categorized as having scientific conceptual understandings; 46% of participants who received traditional instruction supported with a simulation were categorized as having scientific conceptual understandings; and 43% of participants who received traditional instruction were categorized as having scientific conceptual understandings. Statistical analyses showed that the group receiving inquiry-based instruction with archived online data performed significantly better than the other two instructional groups. Inquiry-based instruction with archived online data can be used to effectively perform inquiry activities within science classes; it might be used at different grade levels to teach a variety of scientific content

Change or Durability? The Contribution of Metaconceptual Awareness in Preservice Early Childhood Teachers’ Learning of Science Concepts

This longitudinal study examined the role of metaconceptual awareness in the change and the durability of preservice teachers’ conceptual understandings over the course of several months. Sixteen preservice early childhood teachers participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to reveal the participants’ conceptual understandings of lunar phases (pre, post, and delayed-post) and level of metaconceptual awareness (delayed-post only). Based on the change and stability in participants’ conceptual understandings from pre to post and from post to delayed-post interviews, participants’ conceptual understandings were assigned into three groups that described the profile of their long-term conceptual understandings: “decay or stability”, “continuous growth”, and “growth and stability”. The results indicated that participants in the “continuous growth” and “growth and stability” groups had significantly higher metaconceptual awareness scores than participants in the “decay or stability” group. The results provided evidence that metaconceptual awareness plays a more decisive role in the restructuring of conceptual understandings than the durability of conceptual understandings

Using Planetarium Software to Teach Standards-Based Lunar Concepts

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Integrating the Arts into Science Teaching and Learning: a Literature Review

Combining arts with science builds on children’s interests in nature while allowing artistic expression.  Although educators often discuss integrating the arts into science learning, empirical support is relatively recent.  This thorough review of the education research literature on arts integration synthesizes previous empirical studies and theoretical literature published on arts integration, how the arts are integrated into science teaching, and the efficacy of arts integration for science learning.  It provides evidence that arts integration provides positive outcomes in important areas such as learning, school climate, and teacher collaboration.  This review also discusses evidence regarding obstacles to arts integration such as time, professional development, and ongoing support for teachers.  Finally, we offer implications for future research, including the need for more rigorous empirical studies on integrating the arts into science teaching and learning

To the Moon and Back: Using technology to teach young children space science concepts

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The use of a computer simulation to promote conceptual change: A quasi-experimental study

This mixed-methods investigation compared the effectiveness of three instructional approaches in achieving desired conceptual change among early childhood preservice teachers (n = 157). Each of the three treatments employed inquiry-based instruction on moon phases using data collected from: (1) the planetarium software program, Starry NightTM, (2) nature observations and Starry NightTM, or (3) nat- ure observations alone. Data sources included drawings, intensive interviews, and a lunar shapes card sort. The data sets were analyzed via a constant comparative method in order to produce profiles of each participant’s pre- and post-instruction conceptual understandings of moon phases. Non-parametric tests of significance revealed that pre- to post-instruction gains were significant for all three treatments across all targeted concepts. The Starry Night-Only treatment demonstrated statistically greater gains for sequencing moon phases than the other two treatments. However, there were no significant differences among the three treatments in regard to participants’ abilities to draw scientific moon shapes or in their conceptions of the causes of moon phases. Thus, the three treatments were equally effective in facilitating desired conceptual change

The Use of a Computer Simulation to Promote Scientific Conceptions of Moon Phases

This study described the conceptual understandings of 50 early childhood (Pre-K-3) preservice teachers about standards-based lunar concepts before and after inquiry-based instruction utilizing educational technology. The instructional intervention integrated the planetarium software Starry Night Backyard with instruction on moon phases from Physics by Inquiry by McDermott (1996). Data sources included drawings, interviews, and a lunar shapes card sort. Videotapes of participants’ interviews were used along with the drawings and card sorting responses during data analysis. The various data were analyzed via a constant comparative method in order to produce profiles of each participant’s pre- and post instruction conceptual understandings of moon phases. Results indicated that before instruction none of the participants understood the cause of moon phases, and none were able to draw both scientific moon shapes and sequences. After the instruction with technology integration, most participants (82%) held a scientific understanding of the cause of moon phases and were able to draw scientific shapes and sequences (80%). The results of this study demonstrate that a well-designed computer simulation used within a conceptual change model of instruction can be very effective in promoting scientific understandings