Engagement in science, engineering and technology in the early years: A cultural-historical reading
Journal Title: Review of Science, Mathematics and ICT Education - Year 2009, Vol 3, Issue 1
Abstract
This paper seeks answers to the question “what engages young children in science, engineering and technology (SET)?”. A review of the SET literature is undertaken to find out what are the dominant themes noted in the research literature for engaging young children in SET. Two kinds of analyses are presented in this paper. The first analysis draws upon developmental theory because it is still the dominant worldview within early childhood education, and is closely aligned with constructivism, the major theory within SET education research. This analysis gives some insights into the concept of engagement from a developmental perspective. However, many of the findings identified in the studies reviewed could not easily fit within a traditional developmental framework. A second analysis was undertaken, using cultural-historical theory. It was found that engagement could be explained more fully when it was theorised in relation to Vygotsky’s (1987) and Leont’ev’s (1978) concept of “motives” in the context of Kravtsova’s (2008) concept of the “zone of potential development”. This latter theorisation allowed for a richer discussion of SET engagement for early childhood education. The paper concludes with a model of SET engagement for early childhood education.
Authors and Affiliations
MARILYN FLEER, SUE MARCH
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP149940
- DOI -
- Views 82
- Downloads 0
Pratiques enseignantes et réalité professionnelle : cas d’enseignants des lycées techniques et professionnels industriels au Gabon
Cet article présente les résultats d’une étude sur les pratiques d'enseignants gabonais qui enseignent dans les domaines de l'enseignement technique et professionnel industriel. Cette étude s'intéresse à leurs activités...
Rethinking what is "developmentally appropriate" from a learning progression perspective: The power and the challenge
Learning progressions have recently become increasingly visible in studies of learning and instruction in science. In this essay, I explore the power and considerable challenges in rethinking what may be developmentally...
Analysing young children’s thinking about natural phenomena: A sociocultural/cultural historical perspective
Vygotsky’s sociocultural/cultural historical theory emphasised the notion of semiotic mediation – or how thinking is transformed through signs (such as language) and cultural tools (such as drawings) from an intermental...
Concept de champ électrostatique : Modes de raisonnement des étudiants Tunisiens
L'étude proposée vise à identifier les modes de raisonnement des étudiants relatifs au concept de champ électrostatique. Dans un premier temps, nous avons proposé d'interpréter le support des raisonnements des étudiants...
“Total force” on bodies immersed in air and water: An error living three centuries in physics textbooks
This article presents numerous examples of an erroneous conception, stating that the “total force” by which a fluid acts on an immersed body is equal to the product of corresponding fluid pressure and the body’s surface...