Browsing by Author "Lahin, Laura"

The purpose of this study is to describe how and with whom children share the observations they do during science education and how the physical environment of the kindergarten and the research tools appear in the interaction. The aim is to produce new information on early childhood science education from a socio-cultural perspective in the institutional context of early childhood education. Learning by inquiry is a major method in the basics of the Early Childhood Education Curriculum (2018). Based on previous research, early experiences in science education and scientific language use form the basis for learning science at a later age. In this study science education is viewed in a sociocultural frame based on the theories of Lev Vygotsky. Science and research are social activities involving certain social conventions, and in science education children learn to understand these conventions. In this study, observation refers to how, according to Howes, an individual directs his or her attention to a phenomenon of interest to him or her. Observation is an interesting topic to study, because it’s a central part of learning and science education. The sharing of findings is approached within the socio-cultural perspective of learning, and the interaction in kindergarten is viewed as an institutional interaction. The research is qualitative research. The video material of the study was collected as part of the Joy of Learning Multiliteracies (MOI) project. Data was collected in Finnish day-care centers, and the research subjects were 5-6 years old. Multimodal conversation analysis was used as the analysis method. The analysis utilizes the three focuses of Rogoff’s sociocultural analysis, with particular attention to contextual and interpersonal processes. Based on the results, children share observations during the research phase of science education by speaking, demonstrations, and moving research tools, as well as combinations of these ways. Joining the sharing of observations was demonstrated by gaze, speech, or both. Children experienced observations with each other and adults, but most of the interactions related to sharing observations were between children. The active participation of adults appeared to be a factor in increasing interactions concidering observations. The physical environment of the kindergarten as well as the institutional practices appeared in the research activities to be partly limiting factors for the interaction related to observation. Based on the results in early childhood education during science education research activities, the interaction related to observations can be supported by modifying the learning environment and the active participation of the teacher.