Science as the center of a coherent, integrated early childhood curriculum

Frequency, Duration, and Time Devoted to Elementary Science Instruction and the Association with Science Achievement and Science Interest

“…First, children develop ideas about physical phenomena at an early age (Driver et al, 1994). Secondly, these ideas, regardless of their accuracy, are developed through everyday experiences (e.g., Fleer & Robbins, 2003b;Stein & McRobbie, 1997;French, 2004;Gelman & Brenneman, 2004;Tytler & Peterson;. What follows is a review of literature on the role of early experiences on the development of scientific ideas (i.e., Stein & McRobbie, 1997;Rahayu & Tytler, 1999;Thomas, 1999) as well as the readiness of elementary school students for acquiring scientific knowledge (i.e., French, 2004;Gelman & Brenneman, 2004;Tytler & Peterson, 2003).…”

“…However, there is a paucity of research that takes into account the combined message of the policy documents (i.e., Taking Science to School and The National Action Plan) and previous work on early interest and early experiences in science (i.e., Tai et al, 2006;Rillero, 2005;French, 2004;Gould, Weeks, & Evans, 2003;Kokoski & Downing-Leffler, 1995). In other words, little work exists on the pattern of science achievement in the elementary school, the importance and nature of elementary school science experiences, and the role these experiences play in subsequent science achievement.…”

“…Studies like those conducted by Hadden and Johnstone (1982;1983) looked at international student populations that have culturally unique experiences and are, again, limited in generalizability. Secondly, several of the studies did not look at longitudinal data (e.g., Stein & McRobbie, 1997;French 2004;Gelman & Brenneman, 2004). In these studies, only a snap shot of student achievement was investigated without looking at long-range outcomes across subsequent years.…”

“…The curriculum, referred to as ScienceStart! (French, 2004), is both highly structured and aligned with benchmarks for scientific literacy. The sources of data for this study included teacher impressions, parental impressions, narrative assessments, and standardized measures.…”

“…Researchers have continued to echo this call for the introduction of science as early as possible (Rillero, 2005;French, 2004;Gould, Weeks, & Evans, 2003;Kokoski & Downing-Leffler, 1995). Beyond a call for the earlier introduction of science, the body of research surrounding elementary science education has not provided clarification on the fidelity, nature, or outcomes of these earlier experiences.…”