Abstract
The purpose of this research was to explore the long-term outcomes of either participating or not participating in early childhood science education on grade 6 students’ conceptual understanding of science. The research is situated in a conceptual framework that evokes Piagetian developmental levels as both potential curriculum constraints and potential models of efficacy. The research design was a multiple case study of grade 6 children from 3 schools in China (n = 140) who started formal science education in the third grade and grade 6 children from 3 matched schools in Australia (n = 105) who started learning science in kindergarten. The students’ understanding was assessed by a science quiz and an in-depth interview. The data showed that participating children from the high socioeconomic schools in China and Australia had similar understandings of science. Divergence between the medium and low socioeconomic schools, however, indicated that the grounding in early childhood science education in Australia may have placed these children at an advantage. Alternative explanations for the divergence, including the nature of classroom instruction in the two countries, are discussed.
Highlights
Science education for children in the early years of elementary school is a conundrum in a number of ways
Reported research (Author, in press-b) revealed that the early childhood curriculum in science in Australian schools did not show any benefit for the third grade children with regard to their conceptual understanding of science compared with the Chinese children who did not participate in a science curriculum from the paired schools
The study reported in this paper was designed to investigate whether the grounding in early childhood science education in Australia resulted in any difference in children’s conceptual understanding of science as they progress towards the end of elementary school
Summary
Science education for children in the early years of elementary school is a conundrum in a number of ways. Other problems revolve around elementary teachers who have been well documented as feeling under qualified and lacking in the science knowledge and the pedagogical knowledge needed to teach science in an effective way (Appleton, 2007) As a consequence, they have considerable avoidance strategies such as teaching as little science as possible, focusing on topics about which they have more confidence, relying on textbooks, and avoiding practical work (Harlen, 1997). It has been found that while science is taught in elementary schools only once or twice a week, student learning is best supported with more frequent exposure to science concepts and ideas (Nuthall, 1999) Despite these problems and issues, many countries have a science curriculum for children from the first years of school and invest considerable resources in the support of elementary science instruction including professional learning for teachers and educational resources. Chinese Taipei, which came second on the TIMSS Year 4 science international ranking, has General Studies Curriculum in stage 1 (Grades 1-2), in which science and technology are integrated with social science, art, and humanities (Department of Elementary Education, 2008)
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