Abstract
This chapter examines some of Vygotsky’s ideas in relation to children’s development and early science learning. The literature concerning children’s learning in science at primary (elementary) school is surprisingly neglectful of the work of Vygotsky; most emphasis is still placed on Piagetian ideas. Three main Vygotskian ideas are explored in relation to young children’s learning of science: the zone of proximal development, cultural mediation and the importance of play. All of these ideas highlight the importance of including a contextual framework in which to situate children’s early learning of science, much of which currently comprises experiential, ‘hands-on’ manipulation of materials. The chapter situates Vygotsky’s ideas specifically in relation to improving both children’s experience of primary science and their development of scientific concepts.
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Murphy, C. (2012). Vygotsky and Primary Science. In: Fraser, B., Tobin, K., McRobbie, C. (eds) Second International Handbook of Science Education. Springer International Handbooks of Education, vol 24. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9041-7_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9041-7_14
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