Predicting and Checking in Science: Preschoolers Reason About the Movement of Objects Down a Ramp

• In Event: Poster Session 3
  In Poster Session: Scientific Practices and the Learning of Science

Abstract

Preschool science education aims to foster children’s acquisition of basic conceptual knowledge and early scientific thinking skills. This study examines the relationships among preschoolers’ theory of mind (ToM) and executive function (EF) capacities and their early scientific thinking skills, as well as the effectiveness of an instructional tool for use in the classroom. Children were asked to make and check predictions in scientific investigations involving the movement of objects down a ramp, with some children using a recording chart to support reflection on their scientific investigations. Results indicate that preschoolers are skilled at accurately predicting and checking in this context, and further, ToM capacities may be related to these early scientific abilities. Implications for preschool science education are discussed

Author

• Jamie Liberti-Reuter, Rutgers University - New Brunswick/Piscataway