A cultural‐historical study of how educators create conditions for infant and toddler learning in science

Datos Bibliográficos

ID21392617
AutoresMarilyn Fleer (0000-0002-1224-5510, School of Educational Psychology and Counseling, Faculty of Education Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia, autor de correspondencia), Sue March (School of Educational Psychology and Counseling, Faculty of Education Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia), Anne Suryani (0000-0002-5338-2052, School of Educational Psychology and Counseling, Faculty of Education Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia)
Año2024
Volumen108
Número6
Páginas1495-1518
Fecha de publicación2024-11-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaScience Education (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0036-8326 • E-ISSN: 1098-237X
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/sce.21886
OpenAlexW4399261199
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas19

Calls to bring more equity into science education research (McWayne and Melzi, 2023) are most notable for early childhood. We know very little about the teaching of science to infants and toddlers, yet this is where science education begins. To address the dearth in research, we undertook an in‐depth intervention study in an Australian early childhood center with six educators working with 11 infants and toddlers learning science (1.1–2.0 years; mean 1.6) to identify how educators support science education for infants and toddlers in a play‐based setting over 10 sessions. Specifically, our research question was how do educators create the conditions and interact with infants and toddlers in play‐based setting to support the learning of science. We found a form of co‐operation between educators and infants that centered on educator sensitivity to infants and toddlers noticing the science, educators generating rather than following infant interest, focused thinking spaces, use of scientific language by the educators, planned conceptual progression, and the use of props as placeholders for scientific meaning that acted as pivots and prompts for infants in imaginary situations. We argue that under the conditions of an intervention study where educators planned and taught science to infants, that greater insights into how to teach science to such young children was possible, thereby making available evidence‐informed practice in an under researched area to guide educators working with infants and toddlers

Developmental psychology · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Science education · Science learning · Toddler · Educational Strategies and Epistemologies · Psychology · Science Education and Pedagogy · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies