Preschool Teachers’ Experiences of Teaching Science to Low-Income, Language-Minority Children

• In Event: Research in Progress Roundtable Session 2
  In Invited Roundtable: Early Care and Education: Equity, Engagement, Social and Emotional Learning, Language and Literacy (Table 6)

Abstract

Preschool children are capable of and may greatly benefit from science education. This connection is stronger for English language-learners and children from low-income communities because science activities are hands-on, have low English-language demand, and are abundant in everyday spaces. Because preschool teachers are identified as key stakeholders to the expansion of early science learning opportunities, it is important to examine their experiences teaching science to young children to understand the barriers and facilitators of their science pedagogy. This study investigates the experiences of 21 public preschool educators as they undergo a series of professional development and coaching sessions focused on science education through a thematic analysis. Analyzed findings and implications for future research will be discussed.

Authors

• Yoori Kim, Tufts University

• Christine M. McWayne, Tufts University

• Andres Sebastian Bustamante, University of California - Irvine