Materiell som vilkår for utforsking innen fagområdet natur, miljø og teknikk i barnehagen

The study investigates how the availability and use of materials affect children’s exploratory activities in the subject area of nature, environment and technology in Norwegian kindergartens. The aim is to understand which types of materials are common in kindergartens and the extent to which these materials are available to the children. In addition, how these materials are used in children’s exploratory activities is investigated. The research questions are: 1) What materials related to the subject area of nature, environment, and technology are common in Norwegian kindergartens, and to what extent are these materials accessible to the children? 2) How does this material form part of the children’s formal, informal and incidental exploratory activities?

The study found that although most kindergartens had a lot of science materials, they were often locked away and thus not easily accessible to the children. Plastic animals and books were the exceptions, and were most frequently used in the children’s informal exploration. Formal activities, such as planned trips and experiments, were rare. However, when they did occur, they stimulated further informal exploration. Only one activity was classified as incidental exploration. The study concludes that kindergartens can increase children’s exploratory activities by making more material available and by including children more in planned activities.

Data were collected by student kindergarten teachers in 26 Norwegian kindergartens through quantitative checklists and qualitative observations. The checklists mapped the occurrence of science materials, while the observations described the children’s activities with these materials. The data were analysed both separately and collectively using Neumann’s categories for exploratory activities: formal, informal, and incidental exploration.

Hammer, A. S. E., & Grindheim, L. T. (2023). Materiell som vilkår for utforsking innen fagområdet natur, miljø og teknikk i barnehagen. Nordisk Barnehageforskning, 19(1).