Potential effects of an arts and science interdisciplinary intervention on kindergarten children’s construction of scientific concepts

Authors

  • Édith Allard Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR)
  • Ghislain Samson Université du Québec à Chicoutimi

Keywords:

Interdisciplinarity, sciences, arts, conceptual representation, preschool education, kindergarten

Abstract

Early on in their development, children develop representations of different phenomena to explain the world around them, which are often inadequate or incomplete. Early educational intervention would promote the understanding of concepts through an understudied approach for preschoolers: interdisciplinarity. Our qualitative study explores the effects of an arts and science interdisciplinary intervention on the construction of scientific concepts of 17 children in kindergarten, particularly in relation to light and associated phenomena. Data were collected using drawings and semi-structured pre-and post-intervention interviews, consisting of four one-hour interdisciplinary activities. Results tend to show that the intervention effectively promotes the construction of scientific concepts in the majority of participants.

Author Biographies

Édith Allard, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR)

holds a doctoral degree in educational psychology. She currently works as a preschool educational consultant at the Énergie School Board. She is also a lecturer at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) and at Université Laval. Her research interests concern pedagogical approaches and teaching practices that support the cognitive development of preschool children, particularly their scientific thinking. edith.allard@uqtr.ca

Ghislain Samson, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi

holds a PhD in secondary school education. Currently, he is rector at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC). A specialist in science and technology didactics, he is also interested in issues relating to the school curriculum, interdisciplinarity, and environmental education. In addition to his research in science education, he also works on various issues related to digital technology. Ghislain_Samson@uqac.ca

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Published

2025-02-02

How to Cite

Allard, Édith, & Samson, G. (2025). Potential effects of an arts and science interdisciplinary intervention on kindergarten children’s construction of scientific concepts . McGill Journal of Education / Revue Des Sciences De l’éducation De McGill. Retrieved from https://mje.mcgill.ca/article/view/9926

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