The aim of this presentation is to contribute to the ongoing discussion of how to make secondary science education more inclusive, drawing on examples from a pilot study. The project was based on formative interventions where lower secondary science teachers and pedagogues from a local nature school together developed and tested science units based on language scaffolding and experience-based learning in introductory and regular classes. Data was collected through individual interviews of teachers and students, and questionnaires distributed after the science unit was completed. The results indicate that the collective activity where teachers and trained nature pedagogues together developed new forms of science teaching resulted in both the development of new innovative ways of inclusive teaching and a transformation of the teacher’s views of collaborative learning. The results also indicate that science teaching based on language scaffolding and experience based-learning may have a positive effect on outcomes for newly-arrived students as well as for student with the language of instruction as mother tongue. The results give implications for the possibilities for inclusive science teaching for newly-arrived students as well as contributing to the discussion about a more inclusive science education in general.

Filosofer såväl som forskare har länge hävdat att förundran är en nyckel till elevers intresse och engagemang i skolans NO-undervisning. Trots detta finns det i nuläget mycket få empiriska studier som beskriver lärares arbete med att ge plats för förundran i skolans NO-undervisning.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur elevers förundran kan studeras i klassrumssituationer samt om, och hur, elevers uttryck för förundran kan kopplas till deras meningsskapande om ett planerat lärandemål.

I studien har forskare och en NO-lärare (årskurs 7) samarbetat för att utforma evolutionsundervisning med plats för elevers förundran. Följande forskningsfrågor fokuseras:

1. På vilka sätt kan lärare ge plats för förundran i samband med evolutionsundervisning?
2. Hur påverkar undervisning, med plats för förundran, elevers möjligheter för meningsskapande om evolutionära processer och begrepp kopplade till dessa?

Empirin består av 45 individuella skriftliga elevreflektioner och transkriberade ljudinspelningar från 6 parvisa elevintervjuer. Elevernas reflektioner analyserades i två steg. Steg ett fokuserade på hur eleverna uttryckte förundran i relation till frågan Vad brukar du förundras över? Steg två på vad de förundrats över i evolutionsundervisningen. Elevintervjuerna analyserades med fokus på elevernas meningsskapande om evolutionära processer.

Resultaten visar att eleverna ger uttryck för förundran kopplat till variation, mångfald, evolutionära tidsaspekter och samspel mellan organismer och livsmiljö. Elevernas förundran skiljer sig kvalitativt inom ett spänningsfält mellan nyfikenhetsbaserad förundran och kontemplativ förundran. Samtidigt visar elevintervjuerna att eleverna fortfarande, efter sex veckor av undervisning, kämpar med att integrera vetenskapliga begrepp från evolutionsteorin med sitt eget meningsskapande om processerna.

This article is about the pedagogical potentials and challenges of co-drawing in science education. It builds on video data from three primary school classrooms where students worked in pairs to draw some science content on a shared paper. Grounded in a sociomaterialist approach, we analyse how students, drawing tools, paper templates, visual resources, and science concepts collaborate during drawing activities. Our findings reveal that even though two students share a paper they do not necessarily negotiate their understandings of the science content they are asked to draw. For example, one student may shape a verbal and visual narrative about the science content with little input from the other, or negotiations may focus more on drawing techniques and composition than on understanding the science content. However, the article identifies a promising scenario in terms of science learning opportunities, when both students draw within a confined space on the paper. In such cases, it seems that science learning emerge while drawing and that both students are involved in a joint learning process.

Particularly since many children in early childhood education (ECE) (education for children from birth to 8 years) do not yet write, teachers and researchers tend to use children’s drawings to assess their developing science learning. Previous studies show that children’s choices on what to include in their drawings are affected by local cultures of what constitutes a good representation. However, there is a lack of studies that focus on the teacher perspective, in terms of why and how they include drawing activities in their science teaching. Further, there are currently no studies that compare the role of drawings in science teaching across ECE sectors. The study is part of a larger study which aims to to advance our understanding of how to bridge science teaching across ECE sectors (preschool, preschool class, early primary school). Here, our specific aim is to examine how educational cultures of different ECE sectors interact with teacher’s objectives for using children’s drawings in science activities. We use Activity Theory to analyse field data (notes, photos, videos) from science activities that include children’s drawings, as well as recordings from group discussions with teachers. First, we focus on the relation between the purpose of the activity, the tools used, the local educational culture, and the outcome of each activity. Second, we compare our results across ECE sectors. Our preliminary results indicate that the purpose of drawing activities vary across sectors. In preschool, children’s drawings may serve to tell stories, while in early primary school, drawings may serve as a part of observation practice or to display children’s understandings of science concepts. The results are discussed in relation to children’s transitions between educational cultures, and whether teachers should explicitly scaffold scientific drawing in ECE.

Researchers have provided many arguments for why drawing may contribute to science learning. However, little is known about how teachers in early childhood education (ECE) make use of drawing for science learning purposes. This article examines how teachers' views and framing of drawing activities influence the science learning opportunities afforded to children in the activities. We use activity theory to analyse teacher interviews and observation data from ten science classrooms (children aged 3-8 years) where drawing activities occurred. The interviews reveal that few of the teachers relate drawing to science learning specifically. Rather, they portray drawing as a component of variation in teaching and learning in general. Looking at what happens in the classrooms, we conclude that drawing has a relatively weak position as means of communicating and learning science. Instead, the teaching emphasis is on writing or on 'making a product'. However, there are examples where teachers explicitly use drawing for science learning purposes. These teachers are the same few who, in interviews, relate drawing to science learning specifically. Based on these findings, we encourage school teachers, teacher educators, and researchers to identify, and overcome,obstacles to realising the pedagogical potentials of drawing in ECE science classrooms.

This classroom-based study aims to contribute knowledge about children's opportunities to make use of drawing to make meaning in science. Employing a social semiotic approach to drawing, we examine what ways of representing science content that are (1) made available by the teacher and (2) adopted in children's drawings. We analysed observation data from 11 science lessons in early childhood classrooms (children aged 3 to 8 years), including the drawings that children made during those lessons (129 drawings in total). Our findings suggest that the semiotic resources that teachers provide have a large impact on how children represent science content in their drawings. Moreover, we interpret that teachers strive to support children's 'emergent disciplinary drawing' in science, since they predominantly provided semiotic resources where the science content was generalised and decontextualised. Finally, we propose that 'emergent disciplinary drawing' is incorporated as an element of science pedagogy in ECE practice and ECE teacher education.

How can pre-school teachers form science teaching in a landscape of increasing focus on academically oriented learning outcomes, without losing the unique character of pre-school pedagogies? Seeking to contribute to the discussion of what pre-school science can be, we have analysed data from activities in fourteen Swedish pre-schools (for children aged 1-5 years), to examine if and how multi-dimensional teaching may be combined with teaching for scientific literacy. The overall picture is that elements of ‘emergent scientific literacy' can be combined with a wide range of teaching dimensions, such as empathy, fantasy and storytelling. These results contribute important perspectives to what pre-school science can be and how it can be researched in a way that is suitable for the preschool’s conditions. We suggest our analytical questions, and the dimensions displayed in our results, as a tool for teachers who plan or evaluate science teaching in the early years.

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.

This article discusses how preschool teachers, who include a scientific content in their practice, describe their practice and their view of science in preschool. The study is based on 20 interviews in 9 Swedish preschools. The theoretical and analytical framework combine “communities of practice”(Lave & Wenger) and “positioning theory” (Harré & Langehove). The stories reveal a strong position for the pre-school curriculum and traditions. A prominent storyline is that Science in preschool is something different from science in school. This includes an anti-authoritarian view with a focus on ”the competent child”. The preschool teachers affirm fantasy, creativity and intuition as a part of science and they position science as easy to access. They also position themselves as pedagogues competent to manage science in preschool. One of the dilemmas is about letting children’s interests and initiatives drive the activities while educators curriculum-based goals have certain intentions to fulfill.

Swedish preschool science practice is confined to a unique educational setting where upbringing, care, and education are intertwined. This allows teachers to develop innovative cross-curricular and multidimensional science teaching. At the same time, society demands the digitalization of preschool practice, which has caused concern not only about negative effects on children’s well-being but also the risk of foregrounding digital over analog tools in multidimensional and child-centered preschool practice. The aim of this study is to analyze how preschool teachers at the forefront of digitalization integrate digital and analog tools when teaching science and how this integration affects their practice. The data comprises documentation of digitalized science activities provided by ten preschool teachers and transcribed recall interviews with four of the teachers. Thematic content analysis and a framework for analyzing seven teaching dimensions of preschool science revealed the use of digital and analog tools as drivers for multidimensional science education. The findings show that the teachers primarily use digital tools to reinforce social learning, inclusion, and agency during science activities. Digital and analog tools were used to complement one another in pursuing the boundaries of multidimensional science. However, the content of this innovative and digitalized science teaching remained primarily within biology, the traditional scholarly discipline in preschool science. We conclude that the digitalization of preschool science seems to be used to strengthen and diversify teaching within the boundaries of overarching traditional preschool practice where nature encounters and children’s interests and well-being are at the forefront.  

The aim of this exploratory, longitudinal study was to describe an overall picture ofhow perceptions of the teacher role and attitudes toward science and science teachingdevelop and interact during preschool teacher education, and how this in turn influencesbehavior when students are engaged in teaching science. Sixty-five students enrolled in apreschool teacher education program at a Swedish university were followed throughouttheir teacher education. The study used a phenomenographic approach within a theoreticalframework of sociocultural and situated learning perspective. Questionnaires withopen and closed questions were combined with interviews. The results show that in spiteof growing competence and confidence, many of the students still found science activitiesto be awkward in preschool, mainly due to a wish to protect the children from schoolculture. The results have implications for teacher education and the preschool community,showing a need to problematize the purpose of teaching science in preschool andthe meaning of pedagogical content knowledge in this context.

Learning about evolution can be challenging for students, as a full understanding may require them to see the world in new ways, to master a disciplinary language and to understand complex processes. Drawing on a long line of theoretically grounded arguments of philosophers and researchers for including wonder in science teaching, we report on the results of an empirical study with the primary aim of investigating the role of wonder in students’ learning about evolution. The study was carried out through a formative intervention in which two researchers in science education collaborated with a seventh-grade teacher. Over a period of six weeks, 45 students participated in lessons and workshops aimed at eliciting a sense of wonder in relation to concepts that are known to impact the learning of evolution. We incorporated four ‘triggers’ to elicit students’ wonder in the science class: aesthetic experiences, defiance of expectations, agency and awareness of a mystery within the ordinary. Logbook entries and interviews with student pairs provided empirical material for a qualitative analysis of the role of wonder in the students’ meaning-making about, learning of and engagement in evolution. The results show that it is possible to design science teaching that triggers students’ wonder in relation to an intended learning object. The results also reveal that the participating students described their sense of wonder in qualitatively different ways and that they still struggled to make sense of the concept of evolution after six weeks of teaching.

In this study, Activity Theory (AT) is used to analyse general patterns for how cultural and historical factors interact with the shaping of science activities in preschools. Data was produced from field notes, video observations, video stimulated recall group discussions and individual interviews with preschool teachers at fourteen preschool units, where science activities were described as a common feature of the practice. Two factors were found to be particularly important for how and whether science learning opportunities were afforded the children: the structure of the preschool community and the type of educational culture within it. In communities characterised by weak mutual commitment and without joint understanding of the purpose of the activities, the science learning objects of the activity often became fragmented and thereby elusive. This was also true for strong communities, with a shared approach and a joint understanding of the purpose of the science activities, but with educational cultures where science learning was not actively supported. In contrast, a strong community combined with an educational culture that allowed teachers to lead and intentionally frame the science content, offered child-centred science activities with clear science learning objects.

The aim of this study is to explore how cultural factors interact with preschool teachers’ shaping of activities with science content, and also how Activity Theory (AT) as a theoretical framework can be useful for examining interrelations within preschool systems. Qualitative data was collected from three preschools in the form of guided group discussions with preschool teachers, observations and video recordings of activities, and stimulated recall discussions based on the recorded practices. The preschools displayed diverse approaches for experiencing and learning science, some with great creativity. In all preschools learning was integrated with care, upbringing and play. To support children’s interest and confidence was central. How science activities were shaped mainly depended on how children’s interests were allowed to govern practice. The use of AT as an analytical tool was proven to be effective in identifying the elements, relationships and tensions crucial for understanding the framing of science activities. 

In our project we seek to contribute with new knowledge about pedagogical (dis-)continuities in early childhood science. In this presentation we explore how the same science content is carried out in different ECE school forms, and how different local early childhood educational cultures may give opportunities or become obstacles for science teaching continuities. Our data was collected in three Swedish school units, each comprising at least one preschool, one preschool class and one class from the first three grades of primary school. Classroom observations of science activities were performed at 44 occasions. Activity Theory was used to describe how the teachers in different school forms deal with the same content and how their teaching is affected by local educational cultures.

Across the school forms there was a gradual shift from science learning through nature encounters and ‘doing’ towards an emphasis on concepts, facts, processes and inquiry. Tools for communicating about the subject also gradually shifted, from verbal communication and creative activities towards subject-focused drawing, writing, and reading. Subject continuity was above all ensured by the teacher’s sensitivity to the children’s former experiences, taking it into account when planning the science activities. The overall picture is one of gradual changes of science teaching across early year’s school forms. The bridge for continuity in a specific subject area is however fragile, since it is the children, rather than the teachers or the organization, who become the primary carriers of continuity. This calls for considering how to construct meeting opportunities for teachers, in order to better communicate and adapt their science teaching to what children have or will experience.

INTRODUCTION

Internationally, the growing attention towards the benefits of an early start for children has resulted in an increased public spending on early childhood education (ECE) (OECD 2017). The growing attention is also reflected in a rapid expansion of the research field of early year’s science (defined as science activities for children between 0 and 8 years of age). To our knowledge there are however no studies of pedagogical continuities in early childhood science. In our project we seek to contribute with new knowledge within this particular field.

Pedagogical (dis) -continuities across educational cultures

A growing number of ECE research suggests that the benefits of increasing public spending on ECE may disappear during the first years of primary school due to pedagogical discontinuities (OECD 2017). One potential reason for pedagogical discontinuity are the substantial historically and culturally formed differences between prior-to-school and compulsory school settings, differences that shape discrete educational cultures. For example, the school forms are governed by separate curricula that harbor divergent views of the child, learning, teaching and knowledge (Huser, Dockett & Perry, 2016). Many researchers have described this as a gap that somehow needs to be bridged. Others have emphasized the importance of distinguishable borders between different school forms (Ackesjö 2014).

In Sweden, where this project is conducted, 83 percent of all children in ages between 1-5 years are enrolled in preschool. The year children turn six they will transfer to the compulsory preschool class and the succeeding year they will start year 1 at primary school. The preschool class was specifically introduced into the educational system to enable a smooth transition between prior-to-school education and school by intertwining their divergent pedagogies. However, in accordance with the international studies compiled by the OECD, pedagogical discontinuities are still reported, describing missed opportunities to use children's subject learning experiences from preschool and preschool class in the first year of primary school (Skoog 2012, Ackesjö 2014).

Objectives and research questions

The results presented here are part of a larger project where the main objective is to explore if, and how, educational cultures may affect continuity in science teaching across early childhood school forms. In educational settings the concept continuity may be described as in Dewey's "principles of continuity" thus, that experiences in the present always are colored by previous experiences, and that the challenge for teachers is to provide learners with quality experiences that both rely on their previous experiences and will result in growth and creativity in subsequent experiences (Dewey 1938/1997). Continuity across school forms are often put forward as desirable, but the concept is seldom further elaborated as to what it is, how it can be accomplished, and for whom it is desirable (Ackesjö 2016). Ackesjö (2016) mentions several different aspects of continuity advocated in research, such as communicative (referring to communication between teachers in different school forms), social, curricular, organizational, cultural, and teaching continuity.

In this presentation, we focus on a subsample of our empirical data: science activities that deal with the same content occurring in at least two different school forms. Our aim is to explore how the same science content is carried out in three different ECE school forms. We seek to answer the following questions: 1) What characterizes science teaching of a given content, in the different school forms? 2) What opportunities for, and obstacles to, teaching continuity, in relation to a given science content, can be identified across school forms?

METHOD

Our data was collected in three Swedish school units, each comprising at least one preschool, one preschool class and one class from the first three grades of primary school. Together the three units comprise 4 preschools, 4 preschool classes and 4 grade 1-3 classes. Classroom observations of science activities were performed at 44 occasions (preschools (18), preschool classes (8), primary school (18)).

To characterize and compare the science teaching across the school forms, we draw on Activity Theory (Engeström 1987) and thus constructed triangle models for all the activities. These models include a description of seven elements; the subject (the teacher), object (the purpose), tools, rules, community/educational culture, division of labour and outcome of the activities. The descriptions of the elements of activities with recurring content across school forms were compared to a) identify how teachers in different school forms deal with the same content and b) how culturally formed differences (rules, community/educational culture, division of labour and outcome) may affect their teaching.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

We identified seven recurring contents across the school forms. These were: Water, Plant growth, Fungi, Friction, Insulation, Seasons and Animal tracks. Among these, ‘water’ was the only content that occurred across all three school forms.

Four aspects of shifts in how science teaching is carried out across the school forms were identified. Firstly, in all school forms the children’s former experiences, interests and curiosity were integral aspects of the science teaching. We however identified a shift from using children’s interests as a starting point for science education in preschool towards integrating children's views into teaching of mandatory science curriculum in primary school (subject and educational culture). Second, the teaching approaches shift from focus on verbal communication and creative activities towards subject-focused drawing, writing, and reading (tools). Third, there is a shift from nature encounters and ‘doing’ towards an emphasis on concepts, facts, processes and inquiry (objects). These three shifts are all gradual across the school forms. There is also an example of a more abrupt shift in teaching across school forms; from voluntariness (in preschool) towards mandatory participation (in school) (rules). In the presentation we will describe these trends in more details exemplifying it by how teachers handle the content ‘water’ and ‘fungi’ across school forms.

CONCLUSION

We see a potential for science teaching continuity across early childhood school forms. The subject specific continuity however, is grounded in a sensitivity among the teachers for what the children have experienced in previous school forms. This teaching continuity thus relies altogether on the information that the children choose to share. Hence, this bridge for science teaching between school forms is fragile, since it is the children, rather than the teachers or the organization, who become the primary carriers of continuity. This calls for considering how to strengthen the communicative continuity, that is to construct meeting opportunities for teachers across ECE school forms, in order to better adapt their teaching to what children have or will experience.

REFERENCES

Ackesjö, H. (2014) Barns övergångar till och från förskoleklass: Gränser, identiteter och (dis) kontinuiteter. Doctoral Thesis Växjö, Linnaeus University Press 148.

Ackesjö, H. (2016). Övergångar mellan skolformer – kontinuitet och progression från förskola till skola. Stockholm: Liber AB

Dewey, J. (1938/1997). Experience and Education. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Engeström, Y. (1987). Learning by expanding: an activity-theoretical approach to developmental research. Helsinki: Orienta-konsultit.

Huser, C. Dockett, S. & Perry, B. (2016) Transition to school: revisiting the bridge metaphor. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 24 (3) 439-449

OECD (2017) Starting Strong 2017: Key OECD Indicators on Early Childhood Education and Care, Starting Strong, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264276116-en

Skoog, M. (2012) Skriftspråkande i förskoleklass och årskurs 1. Örebro Studies in Education 33.

Topic/idea and arguments for the topic’s importance

In our project, we seek to understand transition challenges for early years science teaching. We have combined third generation models of Activity Theory (Engeström, 2001) and formative interventions (Penuel 2014) to describe obstacles and opportunities that surface when teachers from different school forms strive to construct a shared object: pedagogical continuity in science education.

In our analytical work, we have first constructed triangle models to describe activities and activity systems for preschools, preschool classes and primary school classes. The activity systems have then been compared across school forms. When comparing activity systems across school forms, we realised that some of the critical factors for continuity are not included in conventional triangle models. Consequently, we would like to share and discuss three methodological issues:

1. There is no room for frame factors such as policy agendas, class sizes, time schedules, and access to premises/personnel in conventional triangle models. Yet, in our analyses we discovered that teachers drew on frame factors in their boundary work (cf. Gieryn 1983) towards other school forms.
2. In many AT studies, the community node consists of a description of various stakeholders within the activity system. In our previous work, we have instead used the community node to describe the educational culture of the community (e.g., Sundberg et al. 2018). There, the educational culture includes overarching views of how children learn, what counts as good or desirable learning and the role of the teacher for children’s learning (cf. Biesta 2011). Since our studies show that the educational culture is crucial to how and whether science is afforded the children (Sundberg et al. 2018), we would like to discuss the place for educational cultures within AT models.
3. When comparing the activity systems, the role of each teacher’s professional experience and science confidence has emerged as a critical factor for pedagogical continuity in science education. For example, teachers with strong science competence as well as confidence or teachers with work experience from both preschool and primary school seem less occupied with boundary work towards other school forms. In our current work, we have tentatively described teacher experience and competence within the subject node. This, in turn, has lead to our grappling with the relation between the subject node and the community node, with regards to the educational culture.

All or some of these issues may be discussed depending on the interest of the participants in the reflection space.

Information about empirical data in our current project

Our data was collected in three Swedish school units, each comprising at least one preschool, one preschool class and one class from the first three grades of primary school. Together the three units comprise 4 preschools, 4 preschool classes and 4 grade 1-3 classes. We conducted focus group discussions (10) with teachers across the school forms within each unit, classroom observations of implementations (49) and individual interviews with 21 teachers, before and after the project (35 in total).

<h2>General description on research questions, objectives and theoretical framework</h2><p><strong><em>Transitions across educational cultures</em></strong></p><p>Internationally public spending on early childhood education has increased due to growing attention towards the benefits of an early start for children’s learning. At the same time a growing number of research suggests that the benefits of these spendings may disappear during the first years of primary school due to pedagogical discontinuities (OECD 2017). One potential reason for pedagogical discontinuity are a range of substantial historically and culturally formed differences between prior-to-school and compulsory school settings. The teachers attend different teacher educations and the school forms are governed by separate curricula that harbour divergent views of the child, learning, teaching and knowledge, thus shaping discrete educational cultures (Huser, Docket &amp; Perry, 2016). Many researchers have described this as a gap that somehow needs to be bridged. Others have emphasized the importance of continuity as well as discontinuity to mark borders between different school forms (Ackesjö 2014).</p><p>In Sweden, where this project is conducted, 83 percent of all children in ages between 1-5 years are enrolled in preschool. The year children turn six they will transfer to the compulsory preschool class and the succeeding year they will start year 1 at primary school. The preschool class was specifically introduced into the educational system to enable a smooth transition between prior-to-school education and school by intertwining their divergent pedagogies. However, in accordance with the international studies reported by the OESD, pedagogical discontinuities  are still reported, describing missed opportunities to use children's subject learning experiences from preschool and preschool class in the first year of primary school (Skoog 2012, Ackesjö 2014). </p><p><strong><em>Science teaching across early childhood school forms</em></strong></p><p>The growing attention towards the benefit of an early start for children’s learning is also reflected in a growing research field around early childhood learning, and the field of early years science (defined as science activities for children between 0 and 8 years of age) is no exception (ESERA e-proceedings 2018). The rapidly expanding research field now encompasses theoretical and ideological discussions about what early years science in preschool can or should be. Also, studies focusing on children’s learning of particular science subject areas as well as broader concepts such as learning and teaching Nature of Science (NOS) and different aspects of teacher student’s and in-service teacher’s pedagogical content knowledge. To our knowledge there are however no studies of pedagogical (dis)continuities in early childhood science across the school forms. In our project we seek to contribute with new knowledge within this particular field.</p><p><strong><em>Objectives and research questions</em></strong></p><p>The aim of this project is twofold: first, we want to report observed obstacles to and opportunities for pedagogical continuity in science education across preschool, preschool class and grades 1-3 .</p><p>Second, we want to study the potentials of formative interventions as a tool for bringing together teachers across school forms to analyse and develop pedagogical continuity in their own practice.</p><p>We hope to provide knowledge about science learning continuity across early years school forms, and about the mechanisms behind (dis)continuities. Our approach is based on a collaborative research between practitioner and researcher to ensure results with relevance to educational research, authorities, practice and teacher education.</p><p>In this presentation we will focus on the boundary work of teachers across early childhood education, based on data from interviews and focus groups.</p><p>Our research questions are:</p><p>1. What views do teachers in preschool, preschool class and years 1-3 express concerning science teaching in their own and in adjacent sectors?</p><p>2. In what ways do teachers across these school forms define discretion and autonomy but also negotiate boundaries, when brought together in focus groups?</p><h2>Methods/methodology</h2><p>This project is guided by expansive learning, third generation models of Activity Theory (Engeström, 2001) and formative interventions (Penuel 2014). The combination of these theoretical and methodological frameworks enables us to describe obstacles to and opportunities as revealed when  teachers of discrete local educational cultures meet to jointly construct a shared object: pedagogical continuity in science education.</p><p>Our data was collected in three Swedish school units (unit Y, O and Ö), each comprising at least one preschool, one preschool class and one class from grade 1-3 of primary school. Together the three units comprise 4 preschools, 4 preschool classes and 4 grade 1-3 classes. We conducted focus group discussions (10) with teachers across the school forms within each unit, classroom observations of implementations (49) and individual interviews with 21 teachers, before and after the project (35 in total).</p><p>The “driving force” of the project was a cyclical intervention process, where teachers across school forms met with us researchers in groups to discuss a focal problem: pedagogical (dis)continuity in science teaching. The whole process begun with a workshop where all participating teachers of one unit were brought together to discuss the science related goals of preschool, preschool class and grade 1-3. To start up a conversation about similarities, differences and perhaps inconsistencies between the curricula (i.e. National Agency for Education, 2016 and 2018) all science goals from each of the three curricula were cut out and mixed together. The teachers were then asked to sort them into themes of their own choice. Based on their results, the teachers were then asked to identify possible areas of continuities, and ways to promote continuity across the three school forms. The next step was to develop and implement a “design for support of continuity” in their practice.</p><p>In this presentation we focus on the teachers’ boundary work across the school forms as revealed in group discussions and individual interviews. Boundary work “takes place as teachers create, maintain, tear down, and transform boundaries, for example by separating “us” and “them”, and evaluate certain practices” (Mausethagen 2013, p. 135). Our research questions are guiding us when analyzing transcripts from interviews and focus group meetings. To investigate how boundaries are drawn and redrawn we also seek for critical incidents such as statements or parts of dialogues that either reveals tensions or contradicting views within and across school forms or moments of insights across school forms.</p><h2>Preliminary results and implications</h2><p><strong><em>Teachers views of science teaching in their own and in adjacent school form?</em></strong></p><p>All teachers, regardless of what school form they represent, view children’s interests and curiosity as integral aspects of science teaching. Also, scientific concepts and basic science facts are considered as most important learning objects. The major difference is that voluntary attendance is described as important in the lower ages but as the children grow older mandatory attendance becomes more important.</p><p>Preschool teachers generally has an understanding of compulsory school science teaching as teacher-led transfer of facts, with little integration of creative activities and outdoor activities. This is often contrasted to their own practice, described as a combination of many different creative forms of learning, outdoor experiences and focused on children's own curiosity and joy. Teachers in preschool class and grade 1-3 only have vague views of what preschool science might be, and tend to refer to a broader picture of preschool practice as a place for social schooling, play and practical activities where science learning is not central. In contrast, they have a more articulated view of science teaching in forthcoming stages.</p><p><strong><em>In what ways do teachers across these school forms define discretion and autonomy but also negotiate boundaries, when brought together in focus groups?</em></strong></p><p>Boundary work became visible especially during some focus group discussions when the teachers compared how much children’s interests and curiosity was allowed to guide science teaching in different school forms. Here, boundaries were created by comparing frame factors to justify differences perceived as less desirable.</p><p>Furthermore, the focus group meetings provided opportunities for a broadened understanding of prerequisites of other school forms, thus laying a foundation for collaborative learning and joint ideas about how to form continuity for science education between school forms.</p><h2>References</h2><p><strong>Ackesjö, H. (2014)</strong> Barns övergångar till och från förskoleklass: Gränser, identiteter och (dis-) kontinuiteter. [Children’s transitions to and from preschool class.  Borders, identities and (dis-) continuities] Doctoral Thesis Växjö, Linnaeus University Press 148.</p><p><strong>Engeström, Y. (2001) </strong>Expansive Learning at Work: toward an activity theoretical reconceptualization. Journal of Education and Work, 14 (1) 133-156</p><p><strong>Finlayson, O.E., McLoughlin, E., Erduran, S., &amp; Childs, P. (Eds.) (2018).  </strong>Electronic Proceedings of the ESERA 2017 Conference. Research, Practice and Collaboration in Science Education. Dublin, Ireland: Dublin City University. ISBN 978-1-873769-84-3</p><p><strong>Huser, C. Docket, S. &amp; Perry, B.</strong> (2016) Transition to school: revisiting the bridge metaphor. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 24 (3) 439-449</p><p><strong>Mausethagen Solvi (2013) </strong>Talking about the test. Boundary work in primary school teachers’ interactions around national testing of student performance. Teaching and Teacher Education 36 132-142</p><p><strong>National Agency for Education, (2016). </strong>Curriculum for the Preschool Lpfö 98. Revised 2016 Lpfö 98/2016. Stockholm: Skolverket.</p><p><strong>National Agency for Education (2018). </strong>Curriculum for compulsory school, preschool class and school-age aducare. Lgr 11. Revised 2018 Stockholm: Skolverket.</p><p><strong>OECD (2017)</strong> <em>Starting Strong 2017: Key OECD Indicators on Early Childhood Education and Care</em>, Starting Strong, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264276116-en.</p><p><strong>Penuel, W. R. (2014). </strong>Emerging Forms of Formative Intervention Research in Education. <em>Mind, Culture, and Activity</em>, 21(2), 97-117. doi:10.1080/10749039.2014.884137</p><p><strong>Skoog, M</strong> (2012) Skriftspråkande i förskoleklass och årskurs 1. Örebro Studies in Education 33.</p><p> </p><p> </p>

Enligt förskolans läroplan ska varje barn ges möjlighet att utveckla förståelse för naturvetenskap. Barnen ska stimuleras att aktivt undersöka sin omvärld och tänka själva kring naturvetenskap. De ska också ges möjlighet att dela sina tankar och uttrycka dem på ett kreativt sätt. Men hur gör man det i praktiken? Hur kan man som pedagog stötta ett barn så att det utvecklas i sin förmåga att ställa frågor och undersöka? Hur stöttar man barns reflektioner kring de erfarenheter de får via undersökande verksamhet? Och hur gör man det på ett sätt som stämmer med förskolans värdegrund och övriga uppdrag?

I den här boken ger författarna en mängd konkreta och inspirerande exempel på hur några förskolor har valt att arbeta med naturvetenskap. Den forskning som boken bygger på visar att pedagogernas förhållningssätt till naturvetenskap, snarare än valet av innehåll, är avgörande för om barnen verkligen erbjuds en möjlighet att utveckla förståelse för naturvetenskap. Bokens exempel utgår därför från olika förhållningssätt som man kan ha i samband med naturvetenskapliga aktiviteter. Till varje kapitel hör en eller flera faktarutor där det naturvetenskapliga innehållet förklaras och knyts till generella bärande idéer inom naturvetenskapen.

Boken spänner över stora delar av det naturvetenskapliga fältet, och visar att det finns många olika sätt att låta barn möta naturvetenskap på. Exemplen i boken vidgar gränserna för hur man kan arbeta med naturvetenskap i förskolan och öppnar för möjligheter till många lustfyllda, engagerande och lärande stunder med barnen.

In this article, we exemplify and discuss how preschool science education may contribute to Education forSustainability (EfS). We draw on data from science activities in fourteen Swedish preschools, in which wehave previously identified examples of ‘multidimensional science teaching’, hence, teaching that intertwineschildren’s science learning with multiple dimensions of children’s lives, such as emotions, fantasy,play and aesthetic modes of expressions. By re-analysing these activities through an EfS lense, we showseveral examples of how multidimensional science teaching provide opportunities for children to developagency and empowerment as well as connectedness with the environment, and some examples of creativeproblem solving. Yet, we advocate that teachers’ active participation is crucial for realising multidimensionalscience teaching in a way that contributes to EfS.

Sessionen inleds med en presentation av de första resultaten från ett nystartat projekt som avser att synliggöra hinder och möjligheter för en kontinuitet i undervisning av naturvetenskap för yngre barn i de olika skolformerna förskola, förskoleklass samt åk 1-3.

Projektets har två utgångspunkter: 1) de forskningsrön som indikerar att barns ämnesmässiga erfarenheter inte tas tillvara i samband med övergångar mellan skolformerna och 2) den speciella problematik som uppstår i samband med övergångar just mellan förskola, förskoleklass och skola där barnen övergår från en undervisningskultur till en annan. Kulturerna skiljer sig när det gäller synen på barnet, lärande och kunskap vilket i sin tur påverkar hur man formar aktiviteter med ett lärandeinnehåll. De olika skolformerna styrs också av två olika läroplaner: Lpfö 98 och Lgr 11 med olika krav på t.ex. barns deltagande och lärande.

Projektet bygger på praktiknära forskningsmetoder utifrån tredje generationens verksamhetsteori och teorin om expansivt lärande (Engeström & Sannino 2010). Det genomförs via formativa interventioner (Penuel 2014) där forskare samarbetar med lärare från tre olika enheter som vardera omfattar förskola, förskoleklass och lågstadium.  Målet är att bidra med både generell kunskap om verksamhetsutveckling i pedagogiska miljöer, och specifik kunskap om hur barn/elever kan erbjudas ämnesmässig kontinuitet i samband med övergångar.

Resultatpresentationen fokuseras till två av projektets fem huvudfrågor: 1) Vilka föreställningar har lärare i förskola, förskoleklass samt åk 1-3 om sitt uppdrag att undervisa i naturvetenskap och vad får det för betydelse för hur naturvetenskapliga aktiviteter formas i respektive utbildningskultur? 2) Vilka hinder och möjligheter finns för kontinuitet mellan skolformerna generellt när det gäller pedagogisk verksamhet och specifikt i samband med undervisning i naturvetenskap?

Utifrån de resultat som presenteras inbjuds deltagarna till en diskussion om hur ämnesmässig kontinuitet kan främjas i samband med övergångar mellan skolformer.

In this chapter we elaborate on how science encounters can be used within education for sustainability (EfS) in preschool practice as a means of empowering children to engage with sustainability. We acknowledge recent research arguing for a rethink of what science teaching in preschool can be. Such rethinking involves a shift from viewing science in preschool as mainly nature experiences towards introducing young children to science inquiry. By doing so, the interplay between knowledge, values and the ways in which humans build and make use of new knowledge can become visible thus, laying a foundation for EfS. Implementation of science inquiry processes in preschools would, however, necessitate changes in preschool teachers’ personal and professional views of science, nature and pedagogy. In our research we have explored how competence in inquiry-based teaching may, or may not, develop during pre-service preschool teacher education. We have also observed how competence can develop, but still not be realized in practice due to culturally and historically grounded attitudes and notions about science and about teaching. Drawing on these findings, we initiate discussion about how pre-service and in-service teacher education can support a broader view of teaching and science to fit the ‘community of practice’ of preschools and hence make a contribution to EfS. Our suggestions highlight the need for pre-service and in-service education to explore the historical/cultural contexts of preschool practices and teachers’ roles in raising children’s awareness of their own scientific observations and science learning processes. We also stress the need for stronger co-operation between teacher educators and teachers in practicum settings to ensure that pre-service students experience preschool environments where they have opportunities to challenge norms and practice inquiry teaching skills that are foundational for EfS. 

Considerable concern has been raised in Sweden about decreasing interest in science among young people. One key to improving attitudes towards science is an early positive contact with science. Numerous studies have however shown that elementary and pre-school teacher generally have negative attitudes towards science and science teaching, as well as poor science content knowledge. As a consequence, science teaching in pre-schools often is fragmented. A pre-school teacher education that prepares student teachers for teaching science with confidence has therefore been put forward as a way of increasing quality science teaching in pre-schools.

In this longitudinal study, attitudes towards science and science teaching of students enrolled in a science and art oriented pre-school teacher programme were followed during their first years of university studies.

The results show that the socialization process into the scientific discourse takes time, and that one full year of exposure to activities with scientific content was needed for skeptical attitudes towards science to change. The results also indicate that dominant attitudes, norms and behaviors of the pre-school professional culture may clash with developing science teaching skills. Pre-school teacher education therefore also needs to communicate about these contradicting cultures.

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the developing professional identity and attitudes towards science teaching among student pre-school teachers. We see professional identity as a dynamic equilibrium between the professional self-image and the variety of roles (pre-school) teachers feel they have to play. Accordingly, professional identity can change over time through relevant others, events and experiences. In this longitudinal study, 65 students enrolled in an art and science dominated teacher programme have been followed since the start in august 2008. Results are presented from 4 consecutive questionnaires and an individual interview of 8 students. The results show that sceptical attitudes towards science decreased significantly after one year of science studies. On the contrary hesitance towards holding structured scientific activities persisted throughout the year. Results from the individual interviews confirm these findings. Here, the descriptions of perceived relevant roles of their profession are dominated by themes of caring and supporting, not teaching. The reluctance towards science teaching in early years thus appear to be more connected to student teachers’ view of the professional preschool teacher role, where structured teaching not is a pronounced part, than to negative attitudes towards science itself. These findings thereby contradict the general idea that the ambiguity about teaching science in pre-school among student teachers is connected to negative attitudes toward science as a subject. This new perspective suggests a need to integrate a discussion of the pre-school teacher role and professional identity into science courses for becoming pre-school teachers.

Water is a substance commonly used in early childhood (EC) science education, both as a content to learn about, and as a medium for exploring chemical and physical processes. In this presentation, we will compare how educators across different EC school forms shape science activities focusing on water. The aim is to contribute knowledge about science teaching continuity across EC school forms. Activity Theory was used to describe and analyse how science teaching was shaped, and to compare what was afforded to the children in the different  school forms. Data was collected through individual interviews with teachers and observations of classroom activities focusing on water. Many similarities were found in how science was dealt with across the EC school forms, but gradual shifts in how the subject was communicated and from exploring and ‘doing’ towards an emphasis on facts, processes and inquiry resulted in an overall picture of science teaching continuity, rather than ‘more of the same’. Our results also revealed a rather sharp shift between preschool and school in how teachers make way for children’s own questions and agency during science activities, demonstrating how different curricula may give different possibilities for science based on children’s interests. 

This paper reports on a project aimed at identifying and exploring the development and implementation processes of teaching practices with interactive whiteboards (IWBs) in two Swedish K-6 schools. The purpose of the project was to generate results and insights of value when preparing student teachers for professional use of IWBs and to give school leaders guidelines when implementing IWBs. A range of methods were used to collect rich and varied empirical materials in this exploratory project. Judging from our data, it was obvious that the implementation process of IWBs, just like other information and communication technology initiatives, is very technology-oriented, but also dependent on attitudes. Over the course of time in the project, different strategies emerged among the teachers regarding whether and how they used the IWBs in their lectures. It also became increasingly clear during the study that there is a distinction between technical interactivity and pedagogical interactivity. Our results further suggest that training is needed when introducing these boards for future users. This training should include both technical instructions and pedagogical discussions.

© 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

This Swedish quantitative study aims to fill a research gap concerning how preschool teachers understand and work with education for sustainable development. Empirical data were collected in a questionnaire distributed to 187 Swedish preschools. The questionnaires consisted of 13 multiple choice questions and five open ended questions exploring how the preschool teachers interpret education for sustainable development and environmental education both as concepts and in practice. Both education for sustainable development and environmental education were mainly associated with nature experiences, recycling and reuse of resources. Descriptions reflecting the economic and social aspects of sustainable development were mainly missing. These views were reflected in the types of activities the children were afforded. Preschools supported by in-service training had a broader understanding of the concept and worked more actively with environmental and sustainability issues with the children. This suggests the need for support for providing children with quality education about sustainability issues. 

This survey explores Swedish preschool staff’s understandings of sustainability but also the relationship between their conceptual understanding and actual practices in early childhood contexts. These results will be used as a basis to develop future knowledge about sustainability in Swedish preschools. This research in the field of early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS) is part in an international comparative study of education for sustainability at early childhood level(Australia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Norway and Sweden). ECEfS as a research field isrelatively new and this international study is designed to develop a broad base of knowledge on the subject. This study has a sociocultural perspective on learning as well as a critical theoretical approach e.g. ecofeministic perspective on the interconnectedness between human and nature. The survey, an online questionnaire, was distributed during the spring of 2013 to 187 representative preschools in different municipalities all over Sweden. Ethical issues were taken into consideration according to the guidelines of the Swedish Research Council (2011) - information was given to the selected preschool's about the aims, design, methods, confidentiality, handling and use of data, and their participation was confirmed by a consent within the questionnaire. Theparticipants had also the right to withdraw their participation at any time. The findings of this survey are currently being analysed and preliminary findings will be analysed and reported at the EECERA conference 2014. This study has implications for theresearch fields environment education and early childhood education for sustainability, for teachers in early childhood education and student teachers.