A self-avoiding walk (SAW) is a sequence of moves on a grid that does not visit the same point more than once. SAWs are used to study how networks form, including social networks, biological networks and computer networks, and have provided inspiration to scientists, artists and designers. Here we describe a collaborative project which aims to…

The preschool level is often the first formal opportunity for children to experience science. There are many examples of appropriate experiments and scientific experiences aimed at young children, both in Mexico and around the world. Even the formal public preschool program in Mexico includes sections called Academic Training Topics, one of which…

This paper describes analysis of teaching instances that are part of an in-service preschool teachers programme about chemistry and physics in preschool. The aim is to develop knowledge about the communication established between teacher and children in relation to an object of learning, specifically the role of intersubjective communication in…

It is generally accepted that education in the field of physics is possible only when one has received sufficient grounds for it. But physics is an attempt to understand the world around us. Everything one needs to study physics is an open mind and willingness to learn. It is also commonly thought that preschool-age children have a natural…

As children develop an understanding of their place in the universe, their mental model of the solar system should really go beyond a list of planet names and attributes to become a dynamic concept of bodies in motion and interaction. Montessori educators can help build a Sensorial impression of the cosmos by physically modeling the nature of…

Current research points out the need to develop early childhood education science content didactics. This qualitative study contributes to the field, illuminating teacher's and children's communication about physics. Teaching activities in five preschools, children age 1-5, are inspired by a science teaching model including digital support. The…

Investigating real-world phenomena in a playful, exploratory setting is a natural process for young children. Teachers can capitalize on children's curiosity to foster their understanding of science ideas and their engagement in science practices, such as predicting, experimenting, observing, comparing, and contrasting. Force and motion…

Science competencies acquired at early years are basic and influence on children's later development. Gender differences in these early science competencies may explain the often-reported gender differences in later science abilities. Research in this field was not usually focused on pre-schoolers. In this study, we focus on the interaction…

Background: This work is based on the idea that young children benefit from early introduction of scientific concepts. Few researches describe didactical strategies focusing on physics understanding for young children and analyse their effectiveness in standard classroom environments. Purpose: The aim is to identify whether didactical strategies…

This study had two research purposes. First, we examined the scientific reasoning gains of prospective science teachers who are concrete, formal, and postformal reasoners in an argumentation-based physics inquiry instruction. Second, we sought conceptual knowledge and achievement gaps between these student groups before and after the instruction.…

This article seeks to contribute to an early childhood specific conceptualisation of physics education. The article is a collaboration between a researcher in science education and two preschool teachers and revolves around the teachers' work with 2-4 year old children. Grounded in a posthumanist understanding of the world, we focus on physics…

Augmented Reality (AR) & Virtual Reality (VR) are now wide open to all fields. The objectives of this study are to analyze the comparison of trend research on the top 200 cited AR and VR publications in all areas, to identify the comparison of trend mapping visualization on AR and VR publications in Physics learning research, to compare the…

The recent decades have seen an increased focus on improving early science education. Goals include helping young children learn about pertinent concepts in science, and fostering early scientific reasoning and inquiry skills (e.g., NRC 2007, 2012, 2015). However, there is still much to learn about what constitutes appropriate frameworks that…

These proceedings contain papers of the 3rd International Baltic Symposium on Science and Technology Education (BalticSTE2019) held in Šiauliai, Lithuania, June 17-19, 2019. This symposium was organized by the Scientific Methodical Center "Scientia Educologica" in cooperation with the Institute of Education, Šiauliai University. The…

In this paper, we investigate the intentions of kindergarten teachers to use the content and to apply the teaching methods that they acquired in a one-day teacher training seminar. According to the theory of planned behavior, the answer to this research question is directly related to a series of social-psychological personal criteria assessments,…