Communication on physics teaching in preschool.

The study explores how kindergarten teachers and children communicate about physics in kindergarten teaching. The research questions are: 1. How can kindergarten teachers' and children's ways of communicating in the teaching of physics be described? 2. Can any patterns of kindergarten teachers' and children's communication be identified, and if so, what can be specifically pointed out?

The results show that communication between kindergarten teachers and children is complex. It changes patterns based on whether the goal is ‘to ask’, ‘to explain’, ‘to describe’, or ‘to show’. Both kindergarten teachers and children are active in communication during each teaching session, but in different ways. For example, most often the kindergarten teachers ask questions. The very youngest children do not ask questions at all.

The researchers observed science-teaching activities in five Swedish kindergartens, with children aged one to five. The video recordings consisted of a total of 277 minutes of activities.

Thulin, S., Jonsson, A., Fridberg, M., & Redfors, A. (2021). “Communication on physics teaching in preschool”. International Journal of Early Years Education, DOI: 10.1080/09669760.2021.2010518