Exploring preschoolers′ conceptions about the viscosity of honey

Markus Sebastian Feser; Susanan Mangal; Markus Sebastian Feser; Susanan Mangal

doi:10.3934/steme.2022007

STEM Education

2022, Volume 2, Issue 2: 86-95. doi: 10.3934/steme.2022007

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Express letter

Exploring preschoolers′ conceptions about the viscosity of honey

Universität Hamburg, Faculty of Education, Physics Education, Von-Melle-Park 8, 20146 Hamburg, Germany

Academic Editor: Tuba Nur Gide

Received: 01 March 2022 Accepted: 01 April 2022 Published: 16 June 2022

Fluids′ viscous behavior is apparent in many everyday life situations, for example, in squeezing shampoo from a bottle or spooning honey from a jar. As a result, it is quite reasonable to assume that students develop (pre)conceptions to explain such phenomena even before they enter kindergarten or elementary school. As yet, however, empirical studies on children′s conceptions regarding the viscous behavior of fluids are remarkably scarce. The present study aims to address this research gap on an exploratory level. More precisely, we conducted a qualitative interview study in which we explored the conceptions about the viscous behavior of honey among N = 6 preschool children attending their final year in a kindergarten in Hamburg (Germany). For stimulating the conversation during the interviews, an easily noticeable phenomenon in which the viscous behavior of honey can be observed (dropping two identical spoons into a honey-filled and a water-filled glass) was demonstrated to the participating children. In summary, the analysis of the transcribed interviews revealed three distinguishable conceptions of the children about the viscous behavior of honey: (1) The viscous behavior of honey results from its stickiness, (2) from its additional physical characteristics, and (3) from its use in everyday life. In this Express Letter, we present the design and results of our study in detail. Recommendations for future research in science education are outlined at the end of this paper.
- students′ conceptions,
- preschoolers′ conceptions,
- viscosity,
- preschool science education
Citation: Markus Sebastian Feser, Susanan Mangal. Exploring preschoolers′ conceptions about the viscosity of honey[J]. STEM Education, 2022, 2(2): 86-95. doi: 10.3934/steme.2022007

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Abstract

Fluids′ viscous behavior is apparent in many everyday life situations, for example, in squeezing shampoo from a bottle or spooning honey from a jar. As a result, it is quite reasonable to assume that students develop (pre)conceptions to explain such phenomena even before they enter kindergarten or elementary school. As yet, however, empirical studies on children′s conceptions regarding the viscous behavior of fluids are remarkably scarce. The present study aims to address this research gap on an exploratory level. More precisely, we conducted a qualitative interview study in which we explored the conceptions about the viscous behavior of honey among N = 6 preschool children attending their final year in a kindergarten in Hamburg (Germany). For stimulating the conversation during the interviews, an easily noticeable phenomenon in which the viscous behavior of honey can be observed (dropping two identical spoons into a honey-filled and a water-filled glass) was demonstrated to the participating children. In summary, the analysis of the transcribed interviews revealed three distinguishable conceptions of the children about the viscous behavior of honey: (1) The viscous behavior of honey results from its stickiness, (2) from its additional physical characteristics, and (3) from its use in everyday life. In this Express Letter, we present the design and results of our study in detail. Recommendations for future research in science education are outlined at the end of this paper.

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