New Perspectives in Science Education

In Thailand, early-childhood education has more emphasized on promoting science learning since 2010 by a national project called Little Scientists House, Thailand, which is the curriculum developed by Haus der Kieninen Forscher Foundation, Germany.  There are now about 20,000 primary schools involved in the project, and more than 5,000 schools have a Little Scientists’ House certificate.  The schools are eligible to apply for the certificate if they implement 20 science activities and one inquiry project with their kindergarten students in that year, and the certificate is awarded for the following two years.  There are about 3,000 schools apply for the certificate each year.  One main aim for supporting kindergarten students doing inquiry projects is to promote children’s science process skills.  This study aims to explore what science process skills developed in the kindergarten inquiry projects.  Since the science process skills are vital outcome in science education at all level.  The samples in the study were 67 science project reports from three provinces of Thailand that applied for a Little Scientists’ House certificate in the year 2016.  Content analysis technique was used to analyze data. The frequency of each skill was count and grade at low level, medium level, and high level, if the percent of frequency between 0 -32, 33 – 67, 68 -100, respectively.  The results showed that the skills of observing, measuring, using numbers, communicating, identifying and controlling variables, and interpreting data were found at high level. Specifically, observing was occurred in all inquiry projects.  Classifying, using space/time relationships, and experimenting were at medium level.  Inferring, predicting, formulating hypotheses, and defining variables operationally were at low level.  Interestingly, there was no skill of predicting developed in any inquiry project work.  In conclusion, inquiry project could support children in developing their science process skills, so that promoting inquiry projects in kindergarten level would enhance children’s science process skills.  However, we found some misconceptions and error in the use of science process skills and that need to be correct. Thus, professional development program still need for kindergarten teachers and educators to develop effective inquiry projects.

Keywords: Inquiry project, Kindergarten, Science process skills.

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