The study of parents creating opportunities for their preschoolers in using basic scientific process skills at home

ABSTRACT

This quasi-experimental design study was conducted to examine the effect of the Science Activities Education Program for Parents (SAEPP) on parents’ ability to create opportunities for their children to develop basic scientific process skills at home. The study group consisted of 108 parents (54 experimental, 54 control) whose children attended two different municipal preschools in Izmir. The ‘Scale for Level of Using Basic Scientific Process Skills: Parent Form’ (SLUBSPSPF) was used to collect data for the study. Findings: There was a statistically significant difference between the pretest-posttest mean scores of SLUBSPSPF regarding the experimental group. The posttest scores show that SAEPP provides a significant increase in the situation of parents creating opportunities for their children to use basic scientific process skills (BSPS). In addition, when the Parent Form posttest and follow-up test mean scores were compared, it showed that there was no significant difference and that the education provided (SAEPP) had a permanent effect (p > 0.05).

KEYWORDS:

• Early childhood
• parent involvement
• scientific process skills

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sara Kefi

Sara Kefi is the principal of the Municipality Preschool, Foça, Izmir since 1994. She received her PhD from Selçuk University, Child Development and Education Teaching Program. Her research interests include creativity, play, field trips, scientific process skills, project approach and family participation.

Fatma Ulku Yildiz

Fatma Ülkü Yildiz is an Assoc. Prof. at Selcuk University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Child Development. She received her Master`s Degree from Selcuk University in 2000 with her thesis on ‘The Effect of Experimental Creativity Program on the Cognitive and Social Development of 4–5 Year Old Children’. Her research interests include children`s creativity, Montessori Education, parent education, play, mother education and mathematics education. Her publications include preschool children`s basic school skills, Turkish language activities, art therapy, Montessori training program.