Page 405 - Vseživljenjsko učenje kot temelj trajnostne družbe

Poučevanje naravoslovja v vrtcih

Teaching Natural Sciences in Kindergartens: Teachers’ Views
and Practices
Educators play a key role in stimulating curiosity, developing critical thinking,
andshapingcompetenciesforsustainabledevelopment.Throughpracticalac-
tivities, they enable children to gradually understand scientific concepts and
connect them to other fields. It is important that they use appropriate ap-
proaches and teaching aids that encourage active learning, contribute to the
development of scientific literacy, and promote a responsible and respectful
attitude towards the natural and social environment. This paper presents em-
pirical research on science education in preschool, focusing on the approaches
and teaching aids used by educators in science activities and the frequency
of inclusion of specific content specified in the preschool curriculum. In addi-
tion, we examined teachers’ self-assessment of their competences in teaching
natural sciences. The survey involved 255 teachers employed in public and pri-
vate kindergartens in Slovenia. Data were collected through a questionnaire.
The results indicate that teachers most frequently use research-based meth-
ods when conducting natural science activities. Among teaching aids, con-
crete materialsand visual toolsare the most commonly used. In the field of nat-
ural sciences, health care is the most frequently addressed topic, while in en-
vironmental education, waste management receives the most attention. The
surveyed educators would like to see more training that offers practical knowl-
edge, innovative ideas, and examples of best practice. Most educators rated
themselves as moderately competent in the area of natural science.
Keywords: educators, science education, science literacy, competencies

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