Browsing by Author "Stock, Hayli R."

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    The Contribution of Trade Books to Early Science Literacy: In and Out of School
    (Springer, 2008-01) Schroeder, Meadow; McKeough, Anne M.; Graham, Susan; Stock, Hayli R.; Bisanz, Gay L.
    Lifelong science literacy begins with attitudes and interests established early in childhood. The use of trade books (i.e., a literary work intended for sale to the general public) in North American school classrooms to support the development of science literacy invites an examination of the quality of science content disseminated to students. A total of 116 trade books were examined to: (a) determine the degree to which science trade books complement expected science knowledge outcomes outlined in school curricula, and (b) compare trade book content to the goals of scientific literacy. Analysis across four science topics, Dinosaurs, Space, Inheritance, and Growth and Life Properties, revealed that this body of children’s literature is inconsistent in its coverage of curricular goals and elements of scientific literacy. Because trade books represent children’s first exposure to science, these shortcomings should be addressed if these books are to be maximally effective in promoting science literacy. Implications for using trade books in the classroom are discussed.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Gender differences in preschoolers’ understanding of the concept of life
    (SAGE : Journal of Early Childhood Research, 2010-01) Schroeder, Meadow; Graham, Susan; McKeough, Anne M.; Stock, Hayli R.; Palmer, Jaime
    This study investigated gender differences in North American preschoolers’ biological reasoning about the concept of ‘life’. Four-year-olds (M = 4.6, SD = 3.3 months) and five-year-olds (M = 5.6, SD = 3.8 months) were asked about the function of 13 body parts, organs, and bodily processes. Results indicated that the likelihood of mentioning the importance of body parts, organs, and bodily processes for maintaining life or preventing death was predicted by age. A concept of life was more likely to occur in boys rather than girls. Although boys had a greater understanding of life they did not outperform girls in their responses to organ/ body part function. The results demonstrate that gender differences in biological reasoning emerge during the preschool years. Implications for early science education are discussed.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Nineteen-Month-Olds' Understanding of the Conventionality of Object Labels Versus Desires
    (Lawrence Erlbaum : INFANCY, 2006-01) Graham, Susan; Stock, Hayli R.; Henderson, Annette M. E.
    We assessed 19-month-olds’ appreciation of the conventional nature of object labels versus desires. Infants played a finding game with an experimenter who stated her intention to find the referent of a novel word (word group), to find an object she wanted (desire group), or simply to look in a box (control group). A 2nd experimenter then administered a comprehension task to assess infants’ tendency to extend information to a 2nd person who was not present at the time of learning. Results indicate that infants chose the target object when the 2nd experimenter asked for the referent of the novel label but not when she requested the referent of her desire. These findings demonstrate that 19-month-olds understand that words are conventional, but desires are not.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Teaching preschoolers about inheritance
    (SAGE : Journal of Early Childhood Research, 2016-01) Schroeder, Meadow; McKeough, Anne M.; Graham, Susan; Stock, Hayli R.; Palmer, Jaime
    This study aimed to promote advanced reasoning about biological inheritance in four- and five-year-olds. A total of 78 preschoolers (Experimental n = 40; Comparison n = 38) completed pre- and post-test versions of two biological reasoning tasks. The Experimental condition received 15 lessons on biological inheritance, whereas the Comparison condition received regular story time activities. The results showed that the Experimental group outperformed the Comparison group at post- test. Overall, the results are an encouraging indication that an increased understanding of biological inheritance can be effectively supported in preschool years.