Abstract
In this forum paper, I respond to issues raised by Kristina Andersson and Annica Gullberg in their article titled What is science in preschool and what do teachers have to know to empower children? (2012). I seek to continue the discussion begun with Andersson and Gullberg’s paper, by further exploring the questions they introduce to guide their paper: “What is science in preschool?” and “What do teachers have to know to empower children?” In particular, I elaborate on the value of drawing on multiple perspectives and different epistemological frameworks, and I argue for the need for a reconceptualized notion of science as a school discipline; one that acknowledges the multifaceted ways in which young children engage in science.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allchin, D. (2011). Evaluating knowledge of the nature of (whole) science. Science Education, 95, 518–542.
Andersson, K., & Gullberg, A. (2012). What is science in preschool and what do teachers have to know to empower children? Cultural Studies of Science Education. doi:10.1007/s11422-012-9439-6.
Cannella, G., & Viruru, G. (2004). Childhood and postcolonization: Power, education, and contemporary practice. New York: Routledge Falmer.
Coffey, A., & Delamonte, S. (2000). Feminism and the classroom teacher: Research, praxis and pedagogy. New York: Routledge Falmer.
Davis, E., & Smithey, J. (2009). Beginning teachers moving toward effective elementary science teaching. Science Education, 93, 745–770.
Eshach, H. (2006). Science literacy in primary schools and pre-schools. Dordrecht: Springer.
Greene, M. (1988). The dialectic of freedom. New York: Teachers College Press.
Hildebrand, G. (2001). Con/testing learning models. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association of Research in Science Teaching (NARST), St. Louis, MO. March, 2001.
Kincheloe, J. (1991). Teachers as researchers: Qualitative inquiry as a path to empowerment. New York: Falmer Press.
Osborne, J., & Dillon, J. (2008). Science education in Europe: Critical reflections. London: The Nuffield Foundation.
Peterson, S. (2009). Narrative and paradigmatic explanations in preschool science discourse. Discourse Processes, 46, 369–399.
Rosen, S. (1961). Bold experiment in elementary-school science: 1871. The Elementary School Journal, 62, 66–76.
Roth, W.-M. (2004). Qualitative research and ethics [15 paragraphs]. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 5(2), Art. 7. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs040275.
Siry, C., & Kremer, I. (2011). Children explain the rainbow: Using young children’s ideas to guide science curricula. The Journal of Science Education and Technology, 20, 643–655.
Siry, C., & Lara, J. (2012). “I didn’t know water could be so messy”: Coteaching in elementary teacher education and the production of identity for a new teacher of science. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 7, 1–30.
Siry, C., Ziegler, G., & Max, C. (2012). “Doing science” through discourse-in-interaction: Young children’s science investigations at the early childhood level. Science Education, 96, 311–326.
Tobin, K. (2011). Global reproduction and transformation of science education. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 6, 127–142.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Lead Editors: K. Scantlebury, A. Hussénius.
This review essay responds to issues raised in Kristina Andersson and Annica Gullberg’s paper entitled “What is science in preschool and what to teachers have to know to empower children?” Cultural Studies of Science Education. doi:10.1007/s11422-012-9439-6.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Siry, C. Towards multidimensional approaches to early childhood science education. Cult Stud of Sci Educ 9, 297–304 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-012-9445-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-012-9445-8