Initial teacher education is the main opportunity to prepare pre-service preschool teachers to foster young children's science competences. Although initial teacher education is important for preschool teachers' later instruction in practice, little is known about early science education in initial teacher education. To gather first insights into…

This paper investigated how puppetry could be used to improve the standards of early childhood science education. This study determined the effect of a puppet-making and puppetry workshop on preservice preschool teachers' beliefs and attitudes towards science education and looked into their experiences during and after puppet-making. Although…

Drawing on sociocultural theorizing, this case study investigates and unpacks the qualities of "scientific play" during children's inquiry-based science activities framed by imagination and play (i.e. Poetry Science). The data were gathered in Finnish preschool groups with children aged five to six years old (N: 31) over a five-week…

This dissertation investigated teachers' practices in preschool science education between China and United States, especially focusing on the factors that affected teachers' instruction in early childhood science education, teachers' pedagogical practices in teaching children science, and teachers' classroom discourse methods used in teaching…

Over the past three decades, our understanding of science learning in early childhood has improved exponentially and today we have a strong empirically based understanding of science experiences for children aged three to six years. However, our understanding of science learning as it occurs for children from birth to three years, is limited. We…

Science education is crucial to young children's discovery and understanding of the world around them. This third edition of Science in Early Childhood has been substantially updated to include the most current research, bringing together an author team of respected science education researchers from across Australia. New chapters address changing…

It is widely recognised that science explorations is vital in children's lives as they make sense of the world. Now in its fourth edition, Science in Early Childhood provides a comprehensive and engaging introduction to science in the early years. Each chapter has been updated to include current research and to address changing priorities in early…

In the last 30 years, 4 distinct theoretical approaches have been described for early childhood science education. The approaches are, empiricist, Piagetian, socio-cognitive and socio-cultural. Drawing on the differences among these approaches regarding the theoretical framework adopted in teaching, the role that is assigned to the teacher during…

Attitudes towards science and scientific perspectives in the future depend on early childhood science experiences. Preservice teachers who are provided with the opportunity to develop positive attitudes and self-efficacy towards science teaching before they enter professional life are more likely to help preschoolers develop positive attitudes…

Effective early science learning opportunities are critical for young children to build a solid foundation for subsequent development of concepts, as well as positive attitudes towards science (Eshach & Fried, 2005). However, these opportunities are often lacking in typical preschool classrooms (Connor, Morrison, & Slominski, 2006; Early…

Aesthetic education can be integrated into students' everyday lives and into different learning areas. Its integration into science education is also valued in schools. Using mixed methods, this study investigated young children's science and aesthetic learning in a science aesthetic thematic curriculum in a preschool classroom in Taiwan. The…

The paper is set in socio-material farming to offer a way of conceptualising actions and interactions of children in preschool involved in the understanding of scientific concepts. A model of early science education about the physical phenomena of shadow formation is implemented in group work in a French context. The research involved 44 children…

California adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS) in 2013, with the aim of improving scientific literacy and strengthening the global competitiveness of the state's workforce. But the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially disruptive for science education, which has long been a lower priority than math and English language arts.…

This article focuses on the need for increased attention to content issues and working methods for science teaching in Early Childhood Education (ECE). Science education research emphasises the importance of not only focusing on specific phenomena, but also on the Nature of Science (NOS). NOS teaching deals with questions about what science is,…

The California Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS)--adopted in 2013--have the potential to improve scientific literacy and strengthen the global competitiveness of California's workforce. However, longstanding underinvestment in science education and the unprecedented disruptions caused by COVID-19 have heightened challenges faced by…