Characteristics of science teaching in preschool

This paper focuses on characteristics of science teaching in preschool. Science in general is in focus, but a special interest is put on what may characterize chemistry teaching in preschool. The study is part of a much broader R&D programme where in total almost three hundred preschool teachers/managers collaborate with a researcher group to which we belong. The participants (N=177) were in the autumn 2018 asked to answer a question in an e-mail-questionnaire about their views on science/chemistry teaching in preschool. On average a participant answered with 30 words, but obviously there was a big span, from 1 to 444 words in a single answer. In the word material (consisting of about 5400 words in total) we looked for common and prominent words, words used only low-frequently or not at all, and other patterns. We identified eighteen words that were used about 30 times or more. Among these words are: experiment, water, animal, plant, nature, forest, explore, examine, phenomenon, and baking. Low frequently used words were categorized in seven categories, among them chemistry. The words atom, molecule and particle could not at all be found in the word material. More qualitatively we also looked for patterns/traces based on the three main Didaktik questions: Why? What? and How?. Statements from the preschool teachers/managers were categorized in seven categories. In the discussion and forthcoming studies we will relate science/chemistry teaching in preschool both to the recently revised curriculum for the Swedish preschool and to other content areas and more general theories and ideas on what may characterize teaching in preschool