Collaborative Research: Bridging Preschool and Kindergarten Science: Exploring Play-based Engagement with Scientific and Engineering Practices in Early Learning Environments

该项目将调查学龄前儿童和幼儿园儿童如何以及在多大程度上能够在以游戏为基础的学习环境中参与科学和工程实践。幼儿是自然科学家，对周围的世界充满好奇，渴望提出问题，并准备调查周围的环境。他们主要通过游戏来理解世界，这在国际上被认为是儿童发展的一个基本组成部分。幼儿的科学学习经验可以反映儿童的这些事实。孩子们可以在室内和室外自由地与环境互动，而不是依靠成年人在教室里围绕特定的桌子或“站”指导有组织的活动，从而获得丰富的体验，这些体验建立在儿童通过游戏参与科学的创造性和直觉方式之上。该项目还将探索空间、材料和教学方法如何支持和扩展儿童对科学和工程实践的参与。幼儿教育工作者将使用科学与工程实践观察协议（SciEPOP）的改进版本进行专业学习，这是一种观察工具，允许研究人员识别和描述高质量的基于游戏的科学和工程实践参与。通过视频丰富的专业学习和基于同伴的指导，幼儿教育工作者将提高他们准备游戏环境的能力，识别新生的科学和工程实践，通过游戏加强和扩展调查，并记录和反思这种学习。本项目旨在通过阐明在儿童游戏中观察到的科学和工程实践，加深对如何支持和发展幼儿科学学习的理解。它还旨在发展幼儿教育工作者的能力，以识别和支持幼儿的新生科学和工程实践。研究人员将使用多方法、基于设计的研究方法来调查以下研究问题：(1)支持学生参与科学和工程实践所需的SciEPOP工具的关键设计元素和周围的专业学习经验是什么？(2)在专业学习中使用SciEPOP工具如何逐步提高教师支持儿童在游戏中参与SEP的能力？(3)建议的教师专业学习干预如何影响儿童在游戏过程中参与科学和工程实践的课堂水平模式？(4)建议的教师专业学习干预如何影响现场和课堂层面在游戏过程中对SEP的知识和态度？这些调查将在超过12个合作的学前班和幼儿园教室中进行，这些教室来自三个人口统计学不同的地区。主要成果包括一系列专业学习模块，旨在帮助教师通过游戏来注意、加强和扩展与科学和工程实践的接触，一个改进版的SciEPOP工具，供教育工作者在发展自己的实践中使用，以及为从业者和研究人员社区撰写的一系列论文和出版物。探索研究preK-12项目（DRK-12）旨在通过研究和开发创新资源、模型和工具，显著提高preK-12学生和教师对科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）的学习和教学。DRK-12计划中的项目建立在STEM教育的基础研究和先前的研究和开发工作的基础上，为拟议的项目提供了理论和实证依据。该项目还由“面向学生和教师的创新技术体验”（ITEST）项目共同资助，该项目支持建立对实践、项目要素、背景和流程的理解，有助于提高学生对科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）以及信息和通信技术（ICT）职业的知识和兴趣。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project will investigate how and to what extent preschoolers and kindergarteners can engage in science and engineering practices in play-based learning environments. Young children are natural scientists, curious about the world around them, eager to pose questions, and ready to investigate their surroundings. They make sense of the world primarily through play, as has been recognized internationally as a fundamental component of child development. Science learning experiences for young children can reflect these facts about children. Rather than relying on adults to direct structured activity around a particular table or “station” in a classroom, children can interact freely with their environment both indoors and outdoors to have rich experiences that build on children’s creative and intuitive ways of engaging with science through play. The project will also explore how spaces, materials, and pedagogies can support and extend children’s engagement with science and engineering practices. Early childhood educators will engage in professional learning using a refined version of the Science and Engineering Practices Observation Protocol (SciEPOP), an observation tool that allows researchers to identify and describe high-quality play-based engagement with science and engineering practices. Through video-rich professional learning along with peer-based coaching, early childhood educators will grow in their ability to prepare play environments, identify nascent science and engineering practices, enhance and extend investigations through play, and record and reflect upon this learning.This project aims to deepen understanding of how to support and develop early childhood science learning by articulating science and engineering practices observed in children’s play. It also aims to develop early childhood educators’ abilities to identify and support nascent science and engineering practices with young children. Researchers will use a multi-method, design-based research approach to investigate the following research questions: (1) What are the key design elements of the SciEPOP tool and the surrounding professional learning experiences needed to support student engagement with science and engineering practices? (2) How does the use of the SciEPOP tool during professional learning progressively enhance teachers’ abilities to support children’s engagement with SEP in play? (3) How does the proposed teacher professional learning intervention impact classroom-level patterns of children’s engagement with science and engineering practices during play? (4) How does the proposed teacher professional learning intervention impact site and classroom-level knowledge and attitudes about SEP during play? These investigations will take place across more than 12 collaborating preschool and kindergarten classrooms from three demographically distinct areas. Key deliverables include a series of professional learning modules designed to support teachers in noticing, enhancing, and extending engagement with the science and engineering practices through play, a refined version of the SciEPOP tool for use by educators in growing their own practice, and a series of papers and publications written for both practitioner and researcher communities. The Discovery Research preK-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools. Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects. This project is also co-funded by the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program, which supports projects that build understandings of practices, program elements, contexts and processes contributing to increasing students' knowledge and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information and communication technology (ICT) careers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.