Working thermal conductivity in the early Childhood classroom

Abstract

The science teaching and learning process should begin at the initial education levels, offering students experiences connected to their natural world. However, little science is accomplished in pre-primary education, especially when it comes to curricular content on physics. This research describes an intervention in early childhood education classrooms where six-yearolds work on a scientific phenomenon, thermal conductivity. Participants are 127 children aged 5-6. Data collection was right after and one year from the intervention. Results revealed that students could transfer what they have learned to other everyday contexts after the intervention –although they exhibited far more difficulties a year later. There were no gender differences found in the first posttest, although females solved the activity better one year later. Thus, more vast interventions should be considered to facilitate the inclusion of science as regular curricular content.