CONCEPTUALIZING SOLID IN LIQUID DISSOLUTION IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SETTINGS: A SOCIO-CULTURAL APPROACH
Abstract
In this study, we attempt to exhibit the importance of the socio-cultural environment for the conceptualization of the dissolution of solids into liquids by 5 to 6 years old children. Through the organization and encouragement of conceptual play processes within every day educational reality in kindergarten, we examine whether children are able to form reasoning on dissolution, to recognize this phenomenon in their familiar environment as well as to search for processes that facilitate the ascertainment of materials’ solubility or dissolubility. In this article, we present data collected from conversations between two children in an urban-area kindergarten in Greece. The conversations were developed during the children’s conceptual play within the period of one week. The data were collected through recordings and field notes during semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data analysis exhibited that the social and cultural reality of children is dynamically present in their play and constitutes the source of development for young children’s thinking regarding the phenomenon of dissolution.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v0i0.750
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