March 22nd, 2007 | RESEARCH
Two studies examined how parent explanation changes what children learn from everyday shared scientific thinking. In Study 1, children between ages 3- and 8-years-old explored a novel task solo or with parents. Analyses of children's performance on a subsequent posttest compared three groups: children exploring with parents who spontaneously explained to them; children exploring with parents who did not explain; and children exploring solo. Children whose parents had explained were most likely to have a conceptual as opposed to procedural understanding of the task. Study 2 examined the causal effect of parent explanations on children's understanding by randomly assigning children to conditions in which they were or were not provided explanation while exploring a novel task with an adult. Children who heard explanations were more likely to switch from procedural to conceptual understanding. Results are discussed with respect to the role of everyday explanation in the development of children's scientific thinking.
Document
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Team Members
Jodi Fender, Author, University of PittsburghKevin Crowley, Author, University of Pittsburgh
Citation
Identifier Type: ISSN
Identifier: 0193-3973
Publication: Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology
Volume: 28
Page(s): 189
Related URLs
Tags
Audience: Educators | Teachers | Elementary School Children (6-10) | Evaluators | Families | Museum | ISE Professionals | Parents | Caregivers | Pre-K Children (0-5)
Discipline: Education and learning science | General STEM
Resource Type: Peer-reviewed article | Research Products
Environment Type: Informal | Formal Connections | Media and Technology | Public Programs