Experimenting as an activity to develop science competences at preschool level

Diplomsko delo opisuje razvijanje naravoslovnih kompetenc pri otrocih v predšolskem obdobju, natančneje v starosti od štiri do pet let. Namen diplomskega dela je bil ugotoviti katere naravoslovne kompetence in katere eksperimentalne spretnosti otrok pridobi oz. usvoji tekom opazovanja, spremljanja in izvajanja izbranih naravoslovnih eksperimentov. Glavni cilj diplomskega dela je bil ugotoviti katere naravoslovne kompetence, ki so bile izvzete iz Učnih načrtov naravoslovnih predmetov v osnovni šoli se razvijajo pri različnih področjih dejavnosti v vrtcih, ki so opisane v Kurikulumu za vrtce, in katere od teh naravoslovnih kompetenc se razvijajo pri predšolskih otrocih ob opazovanju, spremljanju in izvajanju izbranih naravoslovnih eksperimentov. Otroci so pri opazovanju, spremljanju in izvajanju naravoslovnih eksperimentov razvijali večina načrtovanih naravoslovnih kompetenc in vse eksperimentalne spretnosti. Tekom eksperimentiranja otroci še niso bili sposobni reverzibilnega mišljenja, vendar so vseeno spoznali nekaj novih zakonitosti o naravi. Dogodke in pojave pa so med seboj povezovali le tiste, ki so jim bili že poznani iz vsakdanjega življenja. Vsi rezultati so bili pridobljeni z deskriptivno in komparativno metodo analize podatkov.Diploma work describes the development of science competences among children at preschool level, aged between four and five. The purpose of diploma work was to determine which science competences and which science skills a child acquires during the observation, monitoring and the implementation of selected scientific experiments. The main aim of diploma work was to determine which science competences, that have been excepted from the curricula for primary school, are developing in various fields of activities in kundergarten curricula, and which of these science competences develop in preschool children while observing, monitoring and implementing chosen experiments. Children were, while observing, monitoring and implementing chosen experiments, developing the majority of planned science competences and all the science skills. During experimenting children were not able of reversible thinking, but they still learned some new phenomena in nature. Children associated only those events and occurrences which they had already known from everyday life. All results were acquired by descriptive and comparative method of data analysis