ERIC Number: EJ1116152
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1040-9289
EISSN: N/A
Young Chinese Children's Justifications of Plants as Living Things
Early Education and Development, v27 n8 p1159-1174 2016
Research Findings: The purpose of this study was to explore how Chinese preschool children categorize plants into either living or nonliving things. The research was framed within the interpretive paradigm and was designed as a descriptive, cross-sectional study. Participants were children 4 to 6 years of age from 3 kindergartens in Jiangsu Province in eastern China (n = 90). In-depth interviews were carried out to explore the justifications children used to classify trees, flowers, and grass as living or nonliving things. Six types of justifications were identified among the participating children. Cross-sectional comparisons of children's justifications were made both quantitatively and qualitatively. A developmental pathway of children's justifications of plants as living things was proposed. Practice or Policy: The results indicated that children's justifications of plants as living things undergo gradual change from 4 to 6 years of age. Moreover, the development of these justifications may be influenced by the accumulation of biological knowledge. Implications for early science instruction on young children's understanding of plants as living things are discussed.
Descriptors: Asians, Preschool Children, Plants (Botany), Classification, Biology, Knowledge Level, Foreign Countries, Science Instruction, Statistical Analysis, Interviews, Child Development, Scores, Motion, Thinking Skills, Student Attitudes, Kindergarten, Young Children
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Kindergarten; Primary Education; Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A