Acknowledging drawing as a mediating system for young children’s ideas concerning change of state of matter

MARIA KAMPEZA, ALICE DELSERIEYS

Abstract

In this paper, we focus on young children’s drawing activity in the context of science education research adopting a sociocultural perspective which emphasises that thinking can be transformed through cultural tools. Children’s ‘voice’ is not limited to written and oral communication, so drawing can provide opportunities for children to actively participate to knowledge construction and research. A qualitative research methodology was adopted, and two sets of drawings collected from different classes in Greece and Singapore during a common teaching intervention designed to foster children’s understanding of change of state were analysed. Findings presented in this paper concern children’s visual representations of melted objects and the process of melting. Six categories describe the ways that a melted object can be presented (e.g. drops, lines, flow, puddle) and four categories describe changes during melting (e.g. increased number of drops, decrease in size). Educational implications for teachers are thoroughly discussed.

Keywords

Early childhood science, drawing, young children’s ideas, change of state

Full Text:

PDF

References

Anning, A., & Ring, K. (2004). Making sense of children’s drawings. Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.

Areljung, S. (2019). Why do teachers adopt or resist a pedagogical idea for teaching science in preschool? International Journal of Early Years Education, 27(3), 238-253.

Arnold, M., & Millar, R. (1996). Learning the scientific “story”: A case study in the teaching and learning of elementary Thermodynamics. Science Education, 80(3), 249-281.

Brooks, M. (2005). Drawing as a unique mental development tool for young children: Interpersonal and intrapersonal dialogues. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 6(1), 80-91.

Brooks, M. (2009a). Drawing, visualisation and young children’s exploration of “big ideas”. International Journal of Science Education, 31(3), 319-341.

Brooks, M. (2009b). What Vygotsky can teach us about young children drawing. International Art in Early Childhood Research Journal, 1(1), 1-13.

Chang, N. (2005). Children’s drawings: Science inquiry and beyond. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 6(1), 104-106.

Chang, N. (2012). What are the roles that children’s drawings play in inquiry of science concepts? Early Child Development and Care, 182(5), 621-637.

Clark, A. (2005). Listening to and involving young children: A review of research and practice. Early Child Development and Care, 175(6), 489-505.

Clark, A. (2010). Young children as protagonists and the role of participatory, visual methods in engaging multiple perspectives. American Journal of Community Psychology, 46, 115-123.

Cox, S. (2005). Intention and meaning in young children’s drawing. International Journal of Art and Design Education, 24(2), 115-125.

Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research-planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Boston: Pearson.

Delserieys, A., Impedovo, M.-A., Fragkiadaki, G., & Kampeza, M. (2017). Using drawings to explore preschool children's ideas about shadow formation. Review of Science, Mathematics and ICT Education, 11(1), 55-69.

Edwards, C., Gandini, L., & Forman, G. (Eds) (1993). The hundred languages of children: The Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

Ehrlén, K. (2009). Drawings as representations of children’s conceptions. International Journal of Science Education, 31(1), 41-57.

Eshach H., & Fried M. N. (2005). Should Science be taught in early childhood? Journal of Science Education and Technology, 14(3), 315-336.

Fleer, M. (2009). Understanding the dialectical relations between everyday concepts and scientific concepts within play-based programs. Research in Science Education, 39, 281-306.

Fleer, M., & Pramling, N. (2015). A cultural-historical study of children learning science: Foregrounding affective imagination in play-based settings. Dordrecht: Springer.

Fleer, M., & Robbins, J. (2003). “Hit and run” research with “hit and miss” results in early childhood education. Research in Science Education, 33(4), 405-431.

Flewitt, R. (2005). Is every child’s voice heard? Researching the different ways 3-year-old children communicate and make meaning at home and in a pre-school playgroup. Early Years, 25(3), 207-222.

Hall, E. (2009). Mixed messages: The role and value of drawing in early education. International Journal of Early Years Education, 17(3), 179-190.

Helm, J. H., & Katz, L. G. (2001). Young investigators: The project approach in the early years. N Y: Teachers College Press.

Hopperstad, M. H. (2008). Relationships between children’s drawing and accompanying peer interaction in teacher‐initiated drawing sessions. International Journal of Early Years Education, 16(2), 133-150.

Kampeza, M., & Ravanis, K. (2012). Children’s understanding of the earth’s shape: An instructional approach in early education. Skholê, 17, 115-120.

Kampeza, M., & Delserieys, A. (2019). Approaching change of state in early childhood education: The design of a teaching intervention based on storytelling. Educational Journal of the University of Patras UNESCO Chair, 6(1), 89-98.

Kloos, H., Baker, H., Luken, E., Brown, R., Pfeiffer, D., & Carr, V. (2012). Preschoolers learning science: Myth or reality? In H. Kloos, B. J. Morris & J. L. Amaral (Eds.), Current topics in children's learning and cognition (pp. 45-60). Rijeka: Tech - Open Access Publisher.

Kress, G. (2005). Before writing: Rethinking the paths to literacy. London: Routledge.

Lange-Küttner, C., & Thomas, G. V. (Eds.) (1995). Drawing and looking: Theoretical approaches to pictorial representation in children. NY: Harvester Wheatsheaf.

McKeon, F. (2004). Materials. In J. Sharp (Ed.), Developing Primary Science (pp. 95-109). Exeter: Learning Matters.

Paik, S-H., Kim, H-N., Cho, B-K., & Park, J-W. (2004). K‐8th grade Korean students' conceptions of ‘changes of state’ and ‘conditions for changes of state’. International

Journal of Science Education, 26(2), 207-224.

Papandreou, M., & Birbili, M. (2017). Not just a recreational activity: Giving artmaking the place it deserves in early childhood classrooms. Educational Journal of the University of Patras UNESCO Chair, 4(1), 94-106.

Papandreou, M., & Τerzi, Μ. (2011). Exploring children’s ideas about natural phenomena in kindergarten classes: Designing and evaluating ‘eliciting activities’. Review of Science, Mathematics and ICT Education, 5(2), 27-47.

Papandreou, M. (2014). Communicating and thinking through drawing activity in early childhood. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 28(1), 85-100.

Prain, V., & Tytler, R. (2012). Learning through constructing representations in Science: A framework of representational construction affordances. International Journal of Science Education, 34(17), 2751-2773.

Rahayu, S., & Tytler, R. (1999). Progression in primary school children’s conception of burning: Toward an understanding of the concept of substance. Research in Science Education, 29(3), 295-312.

Ravanis, K. (2013). Mental representations and obstacles in 10-11 year old children’s thought concerning the melting and coagulation of solid substances in everyday life. Preschool and Primary Education, 1(1), 130-137.

Robbins, J. (2005). ‘Brown paper packages’? A sociocultural perspective on young children’s ideas in science. Research in Science Education, 35, 151-172.

Rogoff, B. (2003). The cultural nature of human development. NY: Oxford University Press.

Tay-Lim, J., & Lim, S. (2013). Privileging younger children’s voices in research: Use of drawings and a co-construction process. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 12, 65-83.

Tomlinson, C. A. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, Virginia: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Tomlinson, C. A., & Imbeau, M. B. (2010). Leading and managing a differentiated classroom. Alexandria, Virginia: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Van Oers, B. (1997). On the narrative nature of young children's iconic representations: Some evidence and implications. International Journal of Early

Years Education, 5(3), 237-245.

Villarroel, J. D., & Infante, G. (2014). Early understanding of the concept of living things: An examination of young children’s drawings of plant life. Journal of Biological Education, 48(3), 119-126.

Willats J. (2005). Making sense of children’s drawings. New Jersey: Laurence Erlbaum.

Wood, E., & Hall, E. (2011). Drawings as spaces for intellectual play. International Journal of Early Years Education, 19(3-4), 267-281.


DOI: https://doi.org/10.26220/rev.3512

View Counter: Abstract | 543 | times, and PDF | 279 | times



Re S M ICT E | ISSN: 1792-3999 (electronic), 1791-261X (print) | Laboratory of Didactics of Sciences, Mathematics and ICT, Department of Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education - University of Patras.

Pasithee | Library & Information Center | University of Patras