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Asking Young Children to “Do Science” Instead of “Be Scientists” Increases Science Engagement in a Randomized Field Experiment by Marjorie Rhodes; Amanda Cardarelli; Sarah-Jane Leslie is a Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology article available to read on EtoBox.

What is Asking Young Children to “Do Science” Instead of “Be Scientists” Increases Science Engagement in a Randomized Field Experiment about?

Subtle features of common language can imply to young children that scientists are a special and distinct kind of person—a way of thinking that can interfere with the development of children’s own engagement with science. We conducted a large field experiment (involving 45 prekindergarten schools, 130 teachers, and over 1,100 children) to test if targeting subtle properties of language can increase science engagement in children’s daily lives. Despite strong tendencies to describe scientists as a special kind of person (in a baseline control condition), brief video-based training changed the language that teachers used to introduce science to their students. These changes in language were powerful enough to predict children’s science interest and behavior days later. Thus, subtle features of language shape children’s beliefs and behaviors as they unfold in real world environments. Harnessing these mechanisms could promote science engagement in early childhood.

Who reads Asking Young Children to “Do Science” Instead of “Be Scientists” Increases Science Engagement in a Randomized Field Experiment?

Author

Marjorie Rhodes; Amanda Cardarelli; Sarah-Jane Leslie

Publisher

National Academy of Sciences; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; Oxford University Press (OUP); Publons; ScienceOpen (ISSN 0027-8424)

Published

2020

Language

EN

Field

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (Life Sciences)