Poster #80 - Making Slime and Growing Crystals: Children’s Engagement in Science Learning at Home

• In Event: 1-115 - Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Section - Education, Schooling

Integrative Statement

Over the past decade, there has been dramatic job growth in science-related fields (Langdon et al., 2011), and with this growth has come renewed focus on science education (DOE, 2015). Informal science experiences at home foster learning in familiar, culturally-relevant ways that classrooms cannot (Bell et al., 2004). Science learning at home is associated with higher child interest, confidence, and achievement in science at school (National Science Teachers Association, 2009; National Research Council, 2012). However, limited research has examined the home science experiences of elementary-school-aged children. The current study explored parents’ reports of elementary school children’s home-based science experiences. We were particularly interested in the types of activities children were doing, parents’ beliefs about the importance of doing science at home, their confidence in supporting their children’s learning, and who initiated the activities.

Method. 189 parents of children in 1st-6th grade completed an online survey. Most respondents (91%) were mothers. The majority (82%) were White and college-educated (77% BA/BS). These demographics are consistent with what is commonly found in online survey research (Galea & Tracy, 2007). About half (52%) of the children were female. Parents reported on their children’s science engagement at home, including their use of technology to support such learning (see Table 1 for additional survey items).

Results. The most frequently reported science-related activity topics were nature (e.g., animals, plants), space, and weather. Many parents (70%) reported exploring nature, using science kits, or conducting experiments, including making slime, growing crystals, and building volcanoes (See Table 2 for illustrative responses).

Although some parents (10%) described digital media use, such as documentaries and YouTube, to support science learning, 42% reported they did not use technology for science at all. Analyses revealed a main effect of grade such that child-and parent-initiated science activities were more common in 1st-4th grade and teacher-assigned science activities were most frequent in 5th/6th grade (p<.001).
Parents rated children as equally good at science, math, and reading (p>.05), although parents believed their children enjoyed science the most (p<.001). Interestingly, parents rated science as the least important subject to do at home (p<.05), they were less confident in supporting science than reading or writing (p<.05) and, children spent the least amount of time on science at home, compared to math (p<.05) and reading (p<.001). Regression analyses revealed that parents’ beliefs about the importance of doing science at home predicted time spent on science at home.

Discussion. Despite identifying science as children’s most enjoyed activity, children spent less time engaged in science than in math or reading. Parents and educators should capitalize on children’s enjoyment of science to facilitate their later participation in science-related fields. Educators may want to encourage parents to foster science at home by providing ideas/materials for use. Teacher support might also help to reinforce the importance/value of participating in science at home. Science-related media may also be an important tool to help support children’s science engagement at home, especially as children develop and the subject matter becomes more complex.

Authors

• Rebecca Dowling, UMBC
  Presenting Author

• Brittany Gay, UMBC
  Non-Presenting Author

• Allyson Rennie, UMBC
  Non-Presenting Author

• Cassandra Lynn Simons, UMBC
  Non-Presenting Author

• Shari Renee Metzger, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
  Non-Presenting Author

• Susan Sonnenschein, UMBC
  Non-Presenting Author