How Often Do Early Childhood Teachers Teach Science Concepts? Determinants of the Frequency of Science Teaching in Kindergarten

Autor/in	Saçkes, Mesut
Titel	How Often Do Early Childhood Teachers Teach Science Concepts? Determinants of the Frequency of Science Teaching in Kindergarten
Quelle	In: European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 22 (2014) 2, S.169-184 (16 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1350-293X
DOI	10.1080/1350293X.2012.704305
Schlagwörter	Young Children; Kindergarten; Preschool Teachers; Science Instruction; Scientific Concepts; Structural Equation Models; Methods Courses; Preservice Teacher Education; Instructional Materials; Teacher Attitudes; Cognitive Ability; Teaching Experience; Teacher Role; Science Curriculum; Space Sciences; Earth Science; Biological Sciences; Physical Sciences; Longitudinal Studies; Questionnaires; Hypothesis Testing + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Frühe Kindheit; Pre-school education; Preschool education; Erzieher; Erzieherin; Kindergärtnerin; Vorschulerziehung; Vorschule; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Methodisch-didaktische Anleitung; Lehramtsstudiengang; Lehrerausbildung; Lehrmaterial; Lehrmittel; Unterrichtsmedien; Lehrerverhalten; Denkfähigkeit; Lehrerrolle; Earth sciences; Geowissenschaften; Abwasserbiologie; Natural sciences; Naturwissenschaften; Naturwissenschaft; Longitudinal study; Longitudinal method; Longitudinal methods; Längsschnittuntersuchung; Fragebogen; Hypothesenprüfung; Hypothesentest
Abstract	The purpose of the present study was to explore how often teachers of young children teach science concepts in kindergarten and examine the factors that influence the frequency of science teaching in early years. A theoretical model of the determinants of the frequency of science teaching in kindergarten was developed and tested using a multi-level structural equation modeling. Data for this study (n?=?3305) came from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten dataset, which included a nationally representative sample of US kindergarten teachers. The model tested in this study provided a good fit to the sample data. The results demonstrated that the number of science method courses that teachers completed, the availability of science related instructional materials in kindergarten classrooms, and teachers' perceptions of children's capacity for learning influence the frequency that teachers taught specific science concepts (e.g. earth and space, life, and physical science) in kindergarten. On the other hand, results indicated that teaching experience and teachers' perceptions of control over the curriculum do not influence how often early childhood teachers teach science concepts in kindergarten. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10