Abstract

Narrative contexts are increasingly used to frame early science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning, yet little is known about how children of different ages respond to the same story world. This design-based study examined the scientific process skills, problem-solving strategies, and curiosity–exploration behaviors of 30 children aged 3–6 years, in three age groups, during four weeks of STEM activities built around Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, together with the views of 15 preschool teachers. A seven-dimension observation form, an activity evaluation form, semi-structured teacher interviews, field notes, and children’s products were analyzed descriptively and thematically and integrated in a joint display. Observation scores increased in all three age groups. The largest gain appeared among 4–5-year-olds, whereas most 5–6-year-olds reached the high-performance band, suggesting a ceiling tendency. Across sources, children moved from handling materials by their surface features toward predicting, testing, redesigning, and explaining their solutions, and their curiosity became more analytical with age. Teachers judged the activities feasible but asked for ready-to-use plans, age-appropriate materials, and visual supports. The study proposes five design principles for age-sensitive story-based STEM. Because no control group was used, these within-group patterns are descriptive and cannot be attributed to the activities alone.  

Keywords

References

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