In the Shadow of a Light : A Systematic Literature Review Focusing on Children´s Perceptions of Light and Shadows

According to previous research, young children ́s perceptions of light and shadows are often based on everyday experiences. This study is a systematic literature review aiming to investigate and analyse previous empirical research of children ́s perceptions of light and shadows and the role representations have on teaching in the subject. The report was conducted in response to what characterizes children's understanding of light and shadows and how children's knowledge and understanding of physical concepts and phenomena are affected by the use of varied forms of representations in teaching. In this systematic literature review different databases were used to search for previous research, such as ERIC and Swepub. To narrow down the results from the database searches the following limiters were used: peer reviewed articles and published year 2007 – 2018. Results from previous research, within the scope of the purpose for this report, have systematically been analysed and critically reviewed. A total of 12 peer-reviewed, international articles have been analysed which indicates that children at an early age have perceptions of light and shadows. However, the results indicate also that children have a primitive approach in explaining light and shadows. Results from the articles revealed that the teacher has an important role regarding children's learning. Also, the majority of articles described the importance of representations in the development of children's understanding of natural sciences. The conclusion is therefore that the teacher can provide children with meaning and context by utilizing the children ́s conceptions of light and shadows and by using varying forms of representations. Lastly, as an implication for further research it is suggested to empirically examine the teaching contents of light and shadows in year F-3, in order to obtain new perspectives and opportunities for development in the field of light and shadows