Early Childhood Science Research Articles

Young Gifted Girls and Boys: Perspectives through the Lens of Gender

In contemporary society we have become highly dependent on a technological, scientific and mathematically literate population. There has been considerable debate for many years about the lack of talented people entering professions associated with these literacies and about the level of understanding of science and technology in the general community. Since perceptions of and interest in mathematics, science and technology begin in early childhood, teachers of very young children play an important role in fostering and supporting these interests. The research problem investigated in this article emerged when the researcher became aware that teachers in Brisbane, Australia nominated as many as five times more boys than girls for a mathematics and science enrichment programme for gifted young children. Hence, teachers' conceptions of what it means to have high ability in mathematics and science in early childhood appeared to be influenced by teacher beliefs about gender. Single in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 early childhood teachers who nominated children for the above mentioned enrichment programme. Based on interview data, a model of teachers' conceptions of giftedness was developed, comprising seven categories of description or ways that teachers see the phenomenon of giftedness in relation to young children. A latter interpretative analysis of this model found that teachers' conceptions of giftedness are indeed gendered and that each of the seven categories of giftedness guides teacher behaviours or actions that directly disadvantage girls. This article explores this latter analysis and concludes that gender is a significant influence on teachers' conceptions of giftedness in young children.

Science Education over 40 Years

Forty years of scholarly thinking has been documented in the Australian Pre-School Quarterly (APQ) and the Australian Journal of Early Childhood (AJEC). Has our thinking changed over the years? Have readers been usefully informed about developments in early childhood pedagogy? This paper provides an analysis of all published papers in early childhood science education in these journals as they relate to the broader literature in science education published elsewhere. Including science education in the early childhood curriculum has challenged early childhood pedagogy and raised many confronting questions about accepted practices. This analysis is revealing and demonstrates the tensions and struggles found in situating science education within an early childhood curriculum.

Discovering the Potential of Gifted Girls: The Biological and Physical Science Interests of Gifted Kindergarten Girls

The purpose of this investigation was to observe and describe the biological and physical science interests of 14 gifted kindergarten girls. Each girl was videotaped taking part in five science sessions. Open‐ended activities allowed girls to interact with biological and physical science materials in unstructured ways. Videotapes were, analyzed for time spent on task, science process skills used, and cognitive levels exhibited. Findings suggest that these gifted kindergarten girls exhibited equal interest in biological and physical science activities. Parents were interviewed to ascertain science interests exhibited at home. Interviews revealed that parents provided nearly three times as many opportunities for girls to take part in biological science as physical science activities. Recommendations include conducting more research on early childhood science and gifted girls, providing more science experiences for gifted young girls and more parental support for science interests, and educating parents about gender bias.

Body Openings: A Professional Development Program in Health and Human Sexuality Education for Early Childhood in an Independent School Setting

Early childhood educators are uniquely qualified to provide positive, supportive, age-appropriate sexuality education for the youngest of our children. However, they are often lacking in the knowledge, attitudes, and specific skills required. A mentoring program at The Park School in Brooklandville, Maryland, funded by the school's summer Faculty and Curricular Advancement Program (FACA), was developed to train and enable K-4, K-5, and first-grade teachers to provide health and human sexuality education. Part of a larger initiative dedicated to revising the school's early childhood science curriculum, the project was devised around developmentally-based learning objectives suggested by early childhood science, health, and sexuality experts. The faculty preparation component, designed and implemented by a certified sexuality and family life educator, includes reading, lecture, discussion, personal reflection, skill practice, and ongoing mentoring throughout the school year. Teachers involved report increas...

Early Childhood Science Education: Acknowledging and Valuing Differing Cultural Understandings

Science experiences in early childhood are common place, particularly in the natural sciences. However, when we organise these experiences they are usually framed from a Western science perspective. Little thought is given to other forms of science, such as Eastern or Aboriginal perspectives. This paper discusses the need to move away from such an ethnocentric view of science, and for early childhood professionals to actively seek out the cultural views which influence their children's scientific thinking. Accordingly, Aboriginal science is highlighted in this paper.

The importance of conceptually focused teacher‐child interaction in early childhood science learning

This paper presents the findings of a study which documented teacher‐child discourse in two early childhood classrooms (Transition/Year One and Year Two/Three) with the view to mapping how young children come to understand the scientific concepts presented during science lessons. Examples are given to illustrate the different interaction types documented (procedurally and conceptually focused) and the subsequent constructive and destructive frameworks created by the children in working with technology‐related tasks.

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.

Gender issues in early childhood science and technology education in Australia

Science and technology education within the early childhood field has received the minimum of attention by the general research community. As a result, early childhood educators have had to look to their better established colleagues in the primary and secondary fields, where some research information is currently available. Early childhood practitioners in Australia have little information available to guide them in the implementation of recently introduced technology curricula. In this paper, the findings of a research study investigating conceptual change during the teaching‐learning process of young children is presented. The results indicate the need to show caution in the introduction of technology education within the early childhood area. Three issues are reported. Firstly, the need to define a more useful mediating role for the teacher in the process of teaching technology within a constructivistic model. Secondly, the need for technology to be introduced in a socially contextualized manner. Thirdly, the sex‐role stereotyping that becomes evident when the former two are not addressed.

Outcomes of the primary and early childhood science and technology education project at the university of Canberra

The aim of the Primary and Early Childhood Science and Technology Education Project (PECSTEP) is to improve teaching and learning in science and technology of by increasing the number of early childhood and primary teachers who are effective educators. PECSTEP is based on an interactive model of teaching and systematically links work on gender with the learning and teaching of science and technology. The project involves: a year-long inservice program which includes the development of a science curriculum unit by teachers in their schools; linking of the preservice and inservice programs; and the development of support networks for teachers. Each phase of PECSTEP has been researched by means of surveys, interviews and the use of diaries. Research questions have focussed particularly on changes in: teachers’ and student teachers’ attitudes to teaching science and technology; their perceptions of science and technology; their perceptions of their students’ responses and their understandings of how gender relates to these areas.

Toward a gender-sensitive model of science teacher education for women primary and early childhood teachers

Female teachers predominate in primary schools, and tend both to have more negative perceptions of their teaching skills in the physical sciences than males, and to expect girls to perform less well in these areas than boys, with likely serious consequences for girls. In this context the WASTE (Women and Science Teacher Education) Project sought to identify characteristics for teacher education programs which, in the opinion of their conveners, were productive in changing the attitude toward the teaching of science, or in changing the actual mode of teaching science, of women preservice and practising teachers. This paper reports the findings of the WASTE Project which surveyed the conveners of pre- and inservice programs and outlined the three models of exemplary practice used to classify responses:subject-centred, learner-centred andknowledge and person-centred. These models were based largely on differing explanations given for attitude change and on implicit concepts of knowledge, persons, and teaching and learning, and on the importance attributed to gender as a variable. Secondly, it shows how the Primary and Early Childhood Science and Technology Education Project, a gender-sensitive action-research project, was built on these findings. Finally, using these models, it offers a critique of the gender perspective of the Discipline Review of Teacher Education (DEET, 1989).

Making Better Guesses: A Goal in Early Childhood Science

Making Better Guesses: A Goal in Early Childhood Science