Making connections: A qualitative study of science learning in five- and six-year-old children

In a six-month qualitative study, science learning in a group of five- and six-year-old children was investigated in the context of "minds-on" science activities. The concept of "intellectual alertness," originally articulated by Duckworth (1987), was further defined as a highly personal, multi-faceted set of qualities with both cognitive and affective dimensions. It is proposed that the intellectual alertness of each child consists of a number of different but identifiable elements, the "sum total" of which is unique to each child. In the course of the study, a number of alternative conceptions related to children's perceptions of living things were also identified and described. The findings of the study indicate that both the conceptions and reasoning of the children in the study are far more complex than might have been expected from previous studies. The study also points toward the potential usefulness of prolonged qualitative studies in the investigation of the reasoning and evolving conceptions of young children.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio