How Young Children Understand Electric Circuits: Prediction, explanation and exploration

Abstract

How young children understand electric circuits 1Running head: How young children understand electric circuits RESEARCH REPORT How young children understand electric circuits: prediction, explanation and explorationHow young children understand electric circuits 2 Abstract This paper reports findings from a study of young children's views about electric circuits. Twenty-eight children aged 5 and 6 were interviewed. They were shown examples of circuits and asked to predict whether they would work and explain why. They were then invited to try out some of the circuit examples or make circuits of their own choosing.Children expressed a variety of views about the connections needed in a circuit, offered different kinds of explanation and showed differing levels of competence in circuit making. The range of responses showed similarities to those of older students found in previous research. The relationship between practical competence, prediction and explanation was not straightforward. For example children with similar levels of practical competence made different predictions or offered different kinds of explanation. Analysis of the circuits children chose to construct suggested influences of existing competence and knowledge. In particular some children tested out circuit examples about which they had been unsure during the interview while others explored circuit connections more generally.Findings underline the importance of drawing on a variety of evidence in assessing young children's understandings of electric circuits. They indicate that young children may offer views about electric circuits not unlike those of older children and adults with similar experience. Finally there was some suggestion that the interview procedure may have acted as an instructive stimulus in helping children to become more conscious of their own views and reflect on their thinking in the light of further evidence. How young children understand electric circuits 3 HOW YOUNG CHILDREN UNDERSTAND ELECTRIC CIRCUITS: PREDICTION, EXPLANATION AND EXPLORATION Introduction BackgroundThis paper presents findings from a study of five and six year old children's views about electric circuits. The study formed part of a wider investigation into young children's responses to classroom activities in electricity (Glauert, 2005), which sought to explore both the nature of children's explorations and evidence of their thinking in relation to simple electric circuits. The present study set out to investigate young children's views of the connections needed in a circuit (how to make circuits) and to probe their explanations for their views (why circuits need to be connected in particular ways). It sought to explore relationships between children's views of connections needed in a circuit, their explanations and the kinds of practical explorations they undertook with simple circuit components. timely to evaluate what young children might be gaining from the common science activities to which they are now being exposed. In particular given the emphasis on...

Enhancing young children's arithmetic skills through non-intensive, computerised kindergarten interventions: A randomised controlled study

“…Studies have reported that long before the onset of formal education large individual variation in engagement in the value of numbers and in early numerical skills existed among children (e.g., Aunio, Hautamäki, Sajaniemi, & Van Luit, 2009;Glauert, 2009;Glauert & Manches, 2013;National Research Council, 2009). It has also become increasingly clear that young children's early educational experiences have an impact on later outcomes (Sylvia, 2009), both in terms of educational achievement but also in the attitudes towards subjects (Glauert & Manches, 2013).…”

Research in Early Childhood Science Education

“…As Fleer & Robbins, ( 2003b ) pointed out, these methods represented a signifi cant methodological development, which provided more in-depth information to science educators and teachers. Materials, especially in the case of very young children, are of crucial importance (see for example Glauert, 2009 , in whose study children were shown examples of circuits and asked to predict whether they would work and explain why, and then they were encouraged to play with the materials and make their own circuits). In other words, the materials and cards helped the researcher to elicit children's ideas, which, through questioning alone might have remained unexplored.…”

“…Just probing children's intuitive ideas helps bring these ideas to children's attention, and this "can result in misinterpretation of their implicit understanding, as children try to make possibly incoherent ideas coherent enough to state" (Sprod, 1997 , p. 740). It has been reported that the interview procedure may have helped children to become more conscious of their own ideas and thus refl ect on their thinking in the light of further evidence (Glauert, 2009 ).…”

“…However, there have been some studies with children of the age range 8-12 years (Osborne, 1982 ;Jabin & Smith, 1994 ;Vickery, 1995 ;Parker & Heywood, 1996 ;Pilatou & Stavridou, 2004 ;Azaiza, Bar, & Galili, 2006 ), while with children of the age range 4-8, the studies are very few indeed (Newton & Newton, 1996 ;Glauert, 2009 ;Solomonidou & Kakana, 2010 ). However, there have been some studies with children of the age range 8-12 years (Osborne, 1982 ;Jabin & Smith, 1994 ;Vickery, 1995 ;Parker & Heywood, 1996 ;Pilatou & Stavridou, 2004 ;Azaiza, Bar, & Galili, 2006 ), while with children of the age range 4-8, the studies are very few indeed (Newton & Newton, 1996 ;Glauert, 2009 ;Solomonidou & Kakana, 2010 ).…”

“…However, there have been some studies with children of the age range 8-12 years (Osborne, 1982 ;Jabin & Smith, 1994 ;Vickery, 1995 ;Parker & Heywood, 1996 ;Pilatou & Stavridou, 2004 ;Azaiza, Bar, & Galili, 2006 ), while with children of the age range 4-8, the studies are very few indeed (Newton & Newton, 1996 ;Glauert, 2009 ;Solomonidou & Kakana, 2010 ). (Glauert, 2009 ;Mant & Wilson, 2007 ). These studies have investigated the concept of electric current, particularly in the context of a simple circuit (consisting of a battery, a light bulb and connecting wires) and provided evidence for fi ve conceptions or models.…”