Education and Human Sciences, College of (CEHS)
Date of this Version
Summer 7-2012
Abstract
The current study was a replication of the study completed by Hong and Diamond (2012) which explored the effectiveness of two approaches to teaching young children science concepts and vocabulary and scientific problem-solving skills related to objects’ sinking and floating: responsive teaching (RT) and responsive teaching combined with explicit instruction (RT + EI). The current study also examined the moderating effects of classroom environment and teacher-specific factors on the relation between teaching approaches and children’s science learning. Participants included 26 (15 girls) four-and five-year old prekindergarten children. Responsive Teaching (RT) mirrors common approaches to teaching (observing and commenting on behaviors, asking questions, modeling, and playing in parallel) and Responsive Teaching plus Explicit Instruction (RT + EI) builds upon the implicit strategies of responsive teaching by utilizing explicit teaching strategies as well. Results revealed that there was a significant association between teaching approaches and children’s outcome of content-specific scientific problem-solving skills. Teacher’s perceptions about their ability to teach science to young children were not a significant moderator of the relation between teaching approaches and children’s science concepts and vocabulary and scientific problem-solving skills. However, there was a significant negative association between teacher’s years of experience and their perception about teaching science. Results also found that classroom environment was not a significant moderator of the relation between teaching approaches and children’s science concepts and vocabulary and scientific problem-solving skills. However, there was a significant association between the science-related classroom environment and children’s outcome of science concepts and vocabulary. Limitations of the current study, future directions, and implications for practice are also discussed.
Adviser: Helen Raikes
Comments
A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science, Major: Child, Youth and Family Studies, Under the Supervision of Professor Helen Raikes. Lincoln, Nebraska: June 2012
Copyright (c) 2012 Amy N. Colgrove