A swing and a child: how scientific phenomena can come to matter for preschool children’s emergent science identities”

The study investigates how the understanding of physical phenomena is affected by children’s interaction with objects and physical laws associated with the object. The study focuses on one child, one five-year-old girl (pseudonym: ‘Emily’), and how her play and exploration of a swing under the guidance of an educator affects her understanding of scientific phenomena and her identity construction from a gender perspective. The research questions are: (1) How do a swing and scientific phenomena co-create Emily’s agency, explorations, and becomings? (2) How do scientific phenomena contribute to Emily’s identity construction?

The author points out that Emily’s play with the swing made it possible for her to concretise phenomena and concepts, such as acceleration, but she needed the kindergarten teacher’s help to do this. Kindergarten teachers should therefore be aware of the possibilities of supporting children’s emerging scientific understanding and stereotypical gender transgressions that their play encompasses.

The data collection took place at a Swedish kindergarten. Three kindergarten teachers worked in the kindergarten, where 25 children aged five years old attended. The study was designed as a field study and collected data through participatory observation, including video recordings and field notes, and informal conversations with kindergarten teachers.

Günther-Hanssen, A. (2020). “A swing and a child: how scientific phenomena can come to matter for preschool children’s emergent science identities”. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 15:885-910.