Supporting Meaningful and Equitable Early Learning Through Science and Engineering

Introduction

More than a decade ago, the comprehensive National Research Council (NRC) report, Taking Science to School, described the state of K-8 science education and highlighted the importance and need for introducing science early in childhood (NRC, 2007). Since then, this need has been echoed in national, state, and local preschool and prekindergarten initiatives, which elevate science as an important dimension of early learning. For example, the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2015) includes scientific reasoning as a key domain of school readiness and highlights science as a domain of learning that “provides opportunities for rich vocabulary learning and collaboration with peers and fosters a sense of curiosity and motivation to learn” (p. 51)—all crucial skills for later school success. Similar shifts have been observed around the country as an increasing number of states call out preschool science standards (e.g., Virginia, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Michigan). Although science, and more recently engineering, are increasingly recognized as key domains of early learning, young children, especially those enrolled in early learning programs in underserved communities, have few opportunities to engage in high quality science investigation, and even fewer opportunities to engage in engineering design.

Initial studies examining early STEM teaching report a small percentage of time devoted to science with a paucity of research documenting the time young children have to engage in engineering activities (to include whether they have opportunities at all¹). Tu (2006), for instance, studied formal and informal science learning opportunities in preschool classrooms and found that only 4.5% of activities were dedicated to formal science (teacher facilitated) and 8.8% to informal science (free choice with science tools). More recent studies report a higher percentage of time devoted to science, but also highlight inequity. Piasta and colleagues (2104) report approximately 26% of instructional time is dedicated to science on average. However, not only is there significant variability across classrooms (ranging from 0 to 102 minutes per day), but classrooms that serve children from higher socioeconomic households and those whose teacher holds a college degree provide significantly more science learning opportunities relative to classrooms serving children from low-income households and those whose teachers do not hold a college degree.

Furthermore, although recent work suggests more time is devoted to science, few studies to date have examined the quality of science instruction in early childhood programs. Vitiello and colleagues (2019) recently developed a preschool science observational measure (PSOM) and piloted it as part of the randomized controlled trial investigating the promise of a science curriculum. They analyzed data in control classrooms (n=47) to “provide a picture of science teaching in typical classrooms.” Average scores for the three PSOM quality components derived via factor analyses (engage, explore, and consolidate) were low to midrange. Additionally, while practices such as making observations and predictions were promoted frequently, others such as interpreting data and sharing/communicating findings were rarely or never facilitated. Children were also rarely observed using science tools, such as magnifying glasses, balances, rulers, etc.