A Cultural-Historical Study of the Development of Children’s Scientific Thinking about Clouds in Everyday Life

Research in Science Education - Research into early childhood children’s understandings in science has a long history. However, few studies have drawn upon cultural-historical theory to frame...     

Affective Imagination in Science Education: Determining the Emotional Nature of Scientific and Technological Learning of Young Children

Vygotsky (1986) draws attention to the interrelationship between thought and language and other aspects of mind. Although not widely acknowledged, Vygotsky (1999) also drew attention to the search for the relations between cognition and emotions. This paper discusses the findings of a study which examined imaginary scientific situations within the early years. The central research questions examined: What is the emotional nature of scientific learning? and How does affective imagination support early childhood science learning? Video observations were made of the teaching of science from one site in a south-eastern community in Australia (232 h of video observations). The teachers used fairy tales and Slowmation as cultural devices to support the concept formation of 3- and 4-year-old children (n?=?53; range of 3.3 to 4.4; mean of 3.8 years). The findings of this under-researched area (e.g. Roth, Mind, Culture, and Activity 15:2–7, 2008) make a contribution to understanding how affective imagination can work in science education in the early years.     

Is Science Really Everywhere? Teachers’ Perspectives on Science Learning Possibilities in the Preschool Environment

Research in Science Education - There is increasing interest in early childhood science education and a corresponding increase in research in this area. Studies have shown that in some countries...     

Sociocultural Assessment in Early Years Education--myth or reality? Évaluation socioculturelle dans l'enseignement préscolaire--mythe ou réalité? Evaluación Sociocultural en los Primero Años de la Educación: ¿mito o realidad?

Over the past 10-15 years early childhood education has been influenced by the work of Vygotsky and those that followed. A sociocultural approach to learning in early childhood education has been advocated strongly and many teaching support materials have claimed that this perspective underpins their material. However, in advocating a sociocultural approach to teaching and learning, have we framed our assessment practices to match this perspective? This paper will consider this question within the context of assessment practices in early childhood education and will map some of the complexity evident as scholars such as Carr (1998), Lunt (1993) and Moreland et al. (2000) research assessment theory and practice. The final part of this paper will highlight aspects of sociocultural theory articulated by Rogoff (1998) which have relevance for early childhood assessment. Au cours des dix ou quinze dernières années, l'enseignement préscolaire a été influencé par les travaux de Vygotsky et ceux qui ont suivi. Une approche socioculturelle de l'apprentissage dans l'enseignement préscolaire a été fortement préconisée et beaucoup d'auteurs de matériels pédagogiques ont affirmé qu'ils étaient étayés par cette perspective. En préconisant une approche socioculturelle de l'enseignement et de l'apprentissage, cependant, avons-nous formulé des pratiques d'évaluation correspondant à cette perspective? Cet article examine cette question, dans le contexte des pratiques d'évaluation dans l'enseignement préscolaire, et dégage sa complexité, évidente dans les travaux sur la théorie et la pratique de l'évaluation de chercheurs comme Carr (1998), Lunt (1993) et Moreland, Jones et Chambers (2000). La dernière partie de l'article dégage les éléments qui, dans la théorie socioculturelle de Rogoff (1998), peuvent s'appliquer à l'évaluation préscolaire. A lo largo de los últimos diez o quince años la práctica de la primera etapa de la educación primaria ha sido influenciada por el trabajo de Vygotsky y sus seguidores. Se hizo mucho incapiéen un enfoque sociocural del aprendizaje y se ha sostenido que muchos materiales de apoyo a la enseñanza fueron construidos desde esta perspectiva. Sin embargo, es crucial considerar si también se han adecuado a este enfoque las prácticas de evaluación. Este trabajo considerará escencialmente esta pregunta, es decir, si las prácticas de evaluación se han adecuado a un enfoque sociocultural de la enseñanza y el aprendizaje. Además, se explorará la complejidad de la relación entre la teoría y la práctica de la evaluación, evidenciada en los trabajos de Carr (1998), Lunt (1993) y Moreland et al. (2000). La última sección del trabajo destacará la importancia de la teoría sociocultural articulada por Rogoff (1998), y su relevancia para la práctica de la evaluación en los primeros años de educación formal.     

The cultural construction of family involvement in early childhood education: Some indigenous australian perspectives

Socio-cultural theory has provided researchers with a powerful cultural tool for examining many taken-for-granted practices within early childhood education (Wertsch 1991). In drawing upon this tradition, this paper outlines a study that investigated the learning experiences of Indigenous Australian preschool-aged children at home, in the community and in schooling contexts. Each family was given a video camera and asked to record aspects of their child’s life that they considered important for growing up in Australia today. Rogoff’s (1998) three planes of analysis were used to examine the video and interview data gathered. The study documented important cultural understandings relevant to early childhood education from the perspective of a range of Indigenous families.     

The development of a K-3 science program in the context of the National Science Statement and Profile

This paper highlights the challenges and problems in developing an innovative K-3 science program to support teachers in the implementation of the national Statement and Profile in science. The program has been developed by the authors in association with the Curriculum Corporation. The paper outlines the assumptions made about teachers of young children, the role of research in the construction of the program, and the extent to which the Statement and Profile have influenced the process. The resolution of a number of key problems in this curriculum development is discussed: responding to teachers' needs for a base of science discipline knowledge, developing strategies for working scientifically with very young children, and helping teachers develop an extended understanding of the nature of science. Specializations: early childhood science and technology education. Specializations: primary science education, teacher education in science, adult experiences of science and technology, and curriculum development.     

Determining young aboriginal children's scientific understandings: A pilot study

Conclusion The pilot study provided a range of useful data for analysis. In all areas except the children's recall of traditional stories, richly contextualized data was collected. It was felt that the children's young age and not the questions themselves about traditional stories was the limiting factor. The age factor variable is yet to be examined closely. Children older than eight will be interviewed using the story book on night and day to determine if it will successfully reveal any traditional stories they know, and this data will be analysed to see if the stories influence their scientific understandings of night and day. Overall the study aimed to develop a research design and instruments that would readily tap into young Aboriginal children's scientific understandings in a relevant and cross-culturally sensitive way. The richness of the data collected would indicate that this aim has been met. The next step will be to determine the significance of the data collected and whether data should be collected from a larger sample of young Aboriginal children in each of the community contexts described by the NAEC (1985): Traditional, Rural, Urban Dispersed and Urban. Specializations: early childhood science education.     

Constructing cultural‐historical tools for supporting young children's concept formation in early literacy and numeracy

Over the past 10 years, early childhood professionals have been increasingly influenced by cultural‐historical theory. In order to support professionals evolving their practice, the Australian government commissioned a set of cultural‐historical resources specifically designed to build literacy and numeracy experiences for children from birth to the age of five years. This paper reports on an investigation of how teachers and families used the tools for supporting concept formation in literacy and numeracy and how they came to understand cultural‐historical theory. A sample of 349 people (families, and qualified and unqualified early childhood professionals) were either surveyed online or interviewed in relation to the resources. The findings indicate that teachers focused more explicitly on cognitive outcomes for children as a result of using the resources, and most families interacted differently with their children in everyday situations after having piloted the resources.     

Socially constructed learning in early childhood science education

This paper outlines the findings of a study in which the concept of electricity was introduced to young children in a child care centre. Three areas were examined: first, the perceived difficulties associated with the teaching of science to very young children (3–5 year olds); second, a discussion of the approach used to teach electricity to young children, and finally, the study and its findings. When the teaching of electricity (through a unit on torches) followed a socially constructed approach to learning, all of the children were able to connect up a simple electric circuit and talk about the electricity flowing around the circuit. Specialization: early childhood science education.