Teachers’ conceptualisations of science teaching–obstacles and opportunities for pedagogical continuity across early childhood school formsShow others and affiliations
2023 (English)In: International Journal of Early Years Education, ISSN 0966-9760, E-ISSN 1469-8463, Vol. 31, no 3, p. 790-805Article, review/survey (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
This study aims to contribute knowledge about obstacles and opportunities for pedagogical continuity in science across early childhood education. We use activity theory to analyse individual interviews and group meetings with teachers from preschool (age 1–5), preschool class (age 6) and grade 1–3 (age 7–9) in three Swedish school units. The teachers’ descriptions of their science teaching indicate both obstacles and opportunities for pedagogical continuity. For example, all teachers want to establish an interest in, and foster a caring attitude to nature, a similarity that facilitates continuity. However, some crucial differences indicate obstacles. There is a shift concerning ownership; from following children’s initiatives in preschool in bodily and play based experiences towards an emphasis on pre-planned content, verbal knowledge and written documentation in grade 1–3. Our findings also suggest that teachers lack knowledge about each other's teaching and curricula. Hence, the conditions for pedagogical continuity largely rest upon what children share in the science class. We argue that there is need for an in-depth exchange of experiences, regarding content, teaching methods and frame factors, between teachers from different school forms.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Routledge, 2023. Vol. 31, no 3, p. 790-805
Keywords [en]
activity theory, Early childhood education, pedagogical continuity, science teaching, teachers’ talk
National Category
Pedagogical Work Pedagogy
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-198613DOI: 10.1080/09669760.2022.2107492ISI: 000836563200001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85135489634OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-198613DiVA, id: diva2:1690494
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2016-038682022-08-262022-08-262023-09-04Bibliographically approved