Publication: Singaporean preschool children learning science through play
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Date
2014
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Abstract
Play has an important role throughout childhood as children learn and develop
through engaging in play. The aim of this study was to examine how purposeful play can be
used to introduce and facilitate the learning of science ideas and scientific skills in young
children in the Singapore context. Science activities were carried out with preschool children
aged 5 to 6 through the use of purposeful play, and the video and audio recordings of the
science activities were analysed using qualitative coding methods to identify the science
learning that took place while engaging in purposeful play. The coded data were written into
narratives to illustrate the process and learning outcomes of the science activities conducted
using purposeful play. The findings of this study indicate that young children are able to
display science process skills and learn science ideas through engaging in purposeful play.
Description
This paper was presented at the International Science Education Conference 2014 held in Singapore from 25 – 27 Nov 2014
Keywords
Play, Preschool, Young Children, Science learning, Singapore
Citation
Goh, M. T., Ong, W. L. M., Teo, T. W., & Yan, Y. K. (2014). Singaporean preschool children learning science through play. In Y. -J. Lee, N. T -L. Lim, K. S. Tan, H. E. Chu, P. Y. Lim, Y. H. Lim, & I. Tan (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Science Education Conference 2014 (pp. 575-603). Singapore: National Institute of Education.