The development of scientific reasoning of preschool children: Micro-analysis of mind–material–body integration

Abstract

Background: This article argues that the emergence of scientific reasoning in the preschoolyears could be augmented by caregivers and preschool teachers through nurturing ‘Habits ofMind’ (HOM) and ‘Habits of Body’ (HOB) of young children. This type of mind–material–body integration is proposed from an epistemological position that comprises a Hybrid(morphinuum) of theories about early learning and human development.Aim: The aim of this article is to present an exemplar of the capacity of one preschooler toshow emergence and integration of two HOM, namely conjecturing and reasoning withinvariance, in tandem with the Habit of Body (HOB), namely hand-eye coordination that canlay the foundation for scientific reasoning in the early years.Setting: The study referred to in this article is an exemplar (case study) taken from a larger,18-month educational design research intervention, the ‘Little African Scientists Project’. Thatstudy investigated the emergent scientific HOM and HOB through a multimodal materialapproach to pedagogy at preschool level (Grade RR to R).Methods: A three-layered digital video analysis was utilised to interpret the data pertaining toa specific interaction of one child, who was manipulating magnets during one of the manyfree-play activities that formed part of the larger project.Results: Several specific HOM and HOB were evident in the one child who was engaged in anactivity in which he was moving magnets. Two HOM that emerged were those of making andtesting conjectures and reasoning with invariance, while the HOB that emerged was a closealignment of hand movement and eye coordination.Conclusion: This type of close observation and micro-analysis could be utilised for studies ofmore children in similar settings.