Science teaching and curriculum emphases in preschool: lessons from a development project

This article reports on the kind of science that comes into focus in Swedish preschool work teams’ discussions of their participation in a development project called Science Kids. Such knowledge is valuable for future competence development initiatives and the implementation of support materials. The study is conducted in cooperation with a mid-sized Swedish municipality. Empirical data consists of pre- and post-questionnaires and focus-group discussions. Data were analysed through a directed content analysis supported by the framework of curriculum emphases (Roberts, 1982). The results show that the work teams highlighted children’s joy in exploring science as the most important aim of science in preschool (children aged 1–5 years). Such aims were, according to the participants, met in the Science Kids, but they also experienced that there was a strong focus on learning the correct science concepts. The participants were ambivalent in relation to the learning of science concepts. On the one hand, they saw opportunities for children to put words on what they encountered in everyday life (such as naming bugs they encountered in the neighbourhood). On the other hand, the teachers worried that a focus on concepts would create a feeling among the children that they had to provide correct answers instead of trying new ideas or daring to ask questions. We discuss implicit messages about science that accompanied the project and provide suggestions for future competence development projects.