The Inside Story: Looking into Early Childhood Teachers' Support of Children's Scientific Learning

Abstract

THIS RESEARCH SEEKS TO EXPLORE how early childhood professionals support children's scientific learning from the practitioner's perspective. Taking a qualitative approach, this case study indicates possible ways effective team teaching can support the child's scientific learning as well as other team members' learning and teaching development. While conferring with past research on the importance of teachers having adequate scientific subject knowledge, this study suggests this should also be in relation to the learning community in which the early childhood setting is located. It also calls into question the teachers' understanding of the Nature of Science (NOS), reinforcing the complexity of the issue and possible solutions to increasing early childhood teachers' motivation to support children's scientific learning.