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The ‘Why’ and ‘How’ of Engaging Parents in Their Children’s Science Learning in Informal Contexts: Theoretical Perspectives and Applications

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Science Education in East Asia

Abstract

Parents can play instrumental roles in facilitating their children’s science learning outside the formal classrooms. Meaningful interactions and discourse between parents and their children in science-related activities in their everyday life are highly important to children’s construction of scientific knowledge and acquisition of scientific skills and attitudes. In addition, when parents support their children’s needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness in the science learning process, they could exert a positive influence on their children’s intrinsic motivation and self-regulation in learning. It is thus imperative for parents to foster an autonomy-supportive informal learning climate at home or in other informal settings to support their children’s science learning process. This article aims to draw upon perspectives from the sociocultural, constructivism and self-determination theories to discuss the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of engaging parents in their children’s science learning in informal contexts. It will use examples to further illustrate how parents could seize teachable moments in daily life to enhance their children’s science learning by engaging in simple science-related conversations or activities together with their children. It will also discuss some of the challenges and implications of engaging parents in their children’s science learning outside the school.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wishes to express their gratitude to Marshall Cavendish Education Pte Ltd for granting the permission to reproduce some parts of I-Science Parent’s Guide (Primary 3 to 6) for the writing of this article.

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  1. National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Ai Noi Lee & Youyan Nie

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  1. Ai Noi Lee
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Correspondence to Ai Noi Lee .

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  1. Emirates College for Advanced Education, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Myint Swe Khine

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Lee, A.N., Nie, Y. (2015). The ‘Why’ and ‘How’ of Engaging Parents in Their Children’s Science Learning in Informal Contexts: Theoretical Perspectives and Applications. In: Khine, M. (eds) Science Education in East Asia. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16390-1_5

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