Knowledge of scientific inquiry (SI) is considered essential to the development of an individual's Scientific Literacy (SL) and therefore, SI is included in many international science education reform documents. Two previous large scale international studies assessed the SI understandings of students entering middle school and secondary students at the end of their formal K-12 science education. The purpose of this international project was to use the VASI-E to collect data on what primary level students have learned about SI in their first few years of school. This study adds to previous research to bridge the landscape of SI understandings now with representation from primary, middle and high school samples. A total of 4,238 students from 35 countries/regions spanning six continents participated in the study. The results show that globally, primary students are not adequately informed about SI for their age group. However, when compared with the students in the previous international studies (grades seven and 12), the primary students' understandings were surprisingly closer to the levels of understanding of SI of the secondary school students than those in the seventh grade study. 

This chapter is a summary of 5-years of research regarding children’s emerging abstract concepts. A longitudinal study focusing on children’s conversations during a series of activities with a chemistry focus was designed and implemented. Results show that practical experience with magnifying glasses, microscopes, and the deconstruction of several items did not provide enough backdrop for the children to imagine what an even smaller world would look like. Instead, the children applied their experiences from the macroscopic world to describe what they saw. It was not until aminations, zooming in from the macroscopic to the atomic and molecular levels were used that the children’s concept of small began to develop. Results show that the next stage of concept development, besides using descriptions from everyday experiences was the realization these were new experiences, that it was in fact something new they were seeing. Animation technology also helped the children realize that atoms and molecules are everywhere in everything, suggesting that the time elapsed between the transition from the macroscopic level to the submicroscopic level also provided the children with a sense of scale.

The aim of the study was to explore university students’ interpretations of chemical content in the form of physical constructions of atomic nuclei. Playdough was chosen as the means for expression, since it provided the students with the task of choosing the number, form, size, shape, and distance of particles. Data was collected in the form of photographs, written explanations as well as ad hoc notes. Data from 64 students was analyzed using the three levels of analysis as presented by Hedegaard and framed within the theories of models. Results show that students’ choices gave rise to 34 variations of the atomic nuclei. The analysis provided two different categories: models with close resemblance to the teaching model and models with less resemblance to the teaching model. Results show the limitations of verbal and written communication and add to the discussion concerning students’ interpretations of the multitude of atomic models used in teaching. The method was indeed a beneficial tool both for students, who could explore the composition of atomic nuclei and isotopes, and for teachers, who could connect their teaching to students’ interpretations of scientific content since the method brings a new level of detail to discussions.

This study focuses on the development of executive functions in preschool children during a series of science activities. A longitudinal play-based learning intervention was designed and implemented following the design of an educational experiment. Data were collected through visual ethnography in hot situations with adult supervision. Results show how entwined the concepts of inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility are within young children's development. The development of cognitive flexibility or attention shifting readily occurred when there were fictive characters (such as the king and his royal family), but changing perspective toward a nonfictive environment (i.e., taking other children's perspectives) was a more difficult and time-consuming process. This process began in an individual perspective and expanded to acknowledging others' perspectives, then moved toward creating common perspectives or alternative narratives. Results show that science activities can be a bridge for preschool children to transfer their use of executive functions, from fairytales and games toward everyday tasks.

Sweden’s preschool curriculum promotes scientific literacy of young children, with a focus on natural sciences. But how can preschool children best gain an understanding of physical phenomena and basic chemical processes? Dr Clara Vidal Carulla (Gothenburg University) and Dr Karina Adbo (Linnaeus University) use cultural-historical theory to explore how abstract thinking can be developed in preschool children to support science education. The focus of their research is on sub-microscopic particles in chemistry, but the findings are useful for learners of all levels.

The purpose of this study was to exploreengineering students’ ways of solving problems specific formaterial technology and thermodynamics. A writtenquestionnaire was used for data collection. Results show thatestablishing an understanding for fundamental scientific conceptsis a process that takes time. The concepts in focus have been partof the school curricula since the compulsory school level, and formany of the students the concepts were still not established. Theamount of time required to acquire concepts becomes especiallyimportant for discussions concerning a broadened studentrecruitment, where a change in prerequisites for university leveleducation may lead to students who have less understanding forfundamental concepts, and thereby contribute to a reduction in thequality of higher education.

Perezhivanie is a concept that was originally defined by Vygotsky, but it did not become a part of educational theory until recently. Today the concept has been revived, and it is now used as a way to include emotional aspects into education and educational research. The concept also provides a rationale for describing and forming personalised learning. The present study provides a literature review with the aim of covering the variety in definitions of the concept, as well as the different perspectives that the concept lends to research in general, and to research with focus on early years education in particular. Results show that the concept has been applied within the most common theoretical perspectives in use today (such as social, cultural and subjective perspectives) with an interesting array of outcomes, such as design of educational methods, analysis of different modes of experiencing and development of self-awareness. The use of this concept becomes a shift toward more emotional perspectives of learning and development that may not be altogether positive, as perezhivanie holds the risk of blurring the border between psychotherapy and education, which is something that would provide new challenges for education in general and especially for teacher education.

The results presented here are part of a two-year longitudinal study with two main objectives: 1) designing subject-specific science activities that provide experience of chemical phenomena and support positive emotions of science and 2) exploring preschool children’s emergent science. Science was introduced into the preschool setting in the form of conceptual play. Data was collected using visual-ethnography and analysed inductively to explore the dynamics of children’s development of motive orientation over a year of science activities. Results show the significance of the social environment for developing motives and influencing leading motives. The discussion highlights the necessity of considering both cognitive and emotional aspects within preschool science activities in order to be able to create positive cultural motives for science.

The study explores children's emerging understanding of an important science concept in chemistry. Play-based learning activities were designed for children to experience and imagine the concept of 'small' as used in chemistry, moving from the visually experienced level of 'small' towards more imaginative understandings. Data were collected through visual ethnography. Analyses of six vignettes of conversations between children and the teacher illustrate development of children's understanding of the focus concept. Deconstruction of everyday items familiar to the children and visual computer animations provided experiences that enabled children to transition from a macro-level of understanding to visualise the molecular/atomic level to differentiate between macro- and micro-understandings of 'small'. A process of 'sustained shared thinking' could describe the teaching/learning processes evident in the children's and teacher's conversations. The analyses suggest that sustained and shared conversations between children and teachers should stem from children's everyday experiences. ResumeL'etude explore chez les enfants la comprehension emergente d'un concept scientifique important en chimie. Des activites d'apprentissage basees sur le jeu ont ete concues pour que les enfants experimentent et imaginent le concept du 'petit' tel qu'il est utilise en chimie, en passant de la decouverte visuelle au niveau du 'petit' vers des comprehensions plus imaginatives. Des donnees ont ete recueillies par le biais de l'ethnographie visuelle. L'analyse de six vignettes de conversations entre les enfants et l'enseignant illustre le developpement chez les enfants de la comprehension du concept examine. La deconstruction d'objets quotidiens familiers pour les enfants et d'animations visuelles sur ordinateur ont fourni des experiences qui ont permis aux enfants de passer d'un niveau de comprehension macro a une visualisation du niveau moleculaire /atomique, et de faire la difference entre les comprehensions macro et micro du 'petit'. Un processus de 'pensee partagee soutenue' pourrait decrire les processus d'enseignement /apprentissage evidents dans les conversations entre enfants et enseignants. Les analyses suggerent que les conversations soutenues et partagees entre les enfants et les enseignants devraient decouler des experiences quotidiennes des enfants. ResumenEl presente estudio explora la comprension reciente de los ninos de un importante concepto de ciencia en el campo de la quimica. Se disenaron actividades ludicas de aprendizaje para que los ninos experimentaran e imaginaran el concepto de tamano "pequeno" segun se utiliza en el campo de la quimica, alternando entre el nivel de experiencia visual del concepto "pequeno" hasta una comprension mas imaginativa. Se recolecto informacion por medio de etnografia visual. Analisis de seis fragmentos de conversaciones entre los ninos y el educador ilustraron el desarrollo de la comprension de los ninos del concepto principal. La deconstruccion de elementos cotidianos comunes para los ninos y las animaciones visuales computarizadas brindaron experiencias que les permitieron a los ninos navegar desde un nivel macro de comprension a visualizar el nivel molecular/atomico, asi como diferenciar entre la comprension macro y micro del concepto "pequeno". Los procesos de ensenanza/aprendizaje que se evidencian en las conversaciones entre ninos y educadores se pueden describir mediante un proceso de "constante pensamiento comun". Los analisis sugieren que conversaciones constantes y compartidas entre ninos y educadores deben emanar de las experiencias cotidianas de los infantes.