Boosting science education capacity in rural preschool settings
Many children, especially those in rural communities, enter kindergarten knowing less about science than about reading or math.
Preschools typically undertake few science-based learning activities, research shows. Teachers in rural settings, in particular, report having less access to training resources that would support them in teaching scientific concepts with confidence.
To boost science education in rural areas, Nebraska’s Soo-Young Hong leads an interdisciplinary team of Huskers focused on strengthening early childhood educators’ competence and confidence in teaching scientific and engineering concepts.
Educators want to support that learning, but they sometimes don’t believe they have the capacity to do that.
Soo-Young Hong
Exposing young children to high-quality science learning opportunities in early care settings is critical, said Hong, associate professor of child, youth and family studies. Science-based activities help children understand the world around them and develop important lifelong learning skills, such as problem-solving and reasoning.
“Early childhood educators know children love to ask questions and have all kinds of interests and curiosity about what they see and experience,” Hong said. “Educators want to support that learning, but they sometimes don’t believe they have the capacity to do that.”
Hong and her team are creating and field-testing professional development material that builds scientific knowledge and boosts teacher confidence in guiding preschool-age children to think like scientists.
Teachers will learn to experiment with new ideas and approaches that broaden and enrich children’s learning in ways that are authentic and relevant to their everyday lives.
Once developed, the team will share the material through a website and professional development classes. The website will also encourage teachers to communicate and compare notes with each other and the research team as well as share observations directly with families.
Encouraging teachers to closely observe children’s interactions with science-related materials and environments is a key project component, Hong said. They can use those observations to reflect on, plan and put science teaching into practice.
The project, housed in the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools, is a highly collaborative effort involving faculty in education, entomology, biological sciences, engineering and Nebraska Extension. Husker researchers are providing expertise, while extension educators are working with rural preschool teachers statewide to solicit input and feedback into material design.
Program resources will be disseminated nationally. The National Science Foundation funds this project.