Emerging Interest in Science during Early Childhood Period and Evaluating its Effectiveness

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The research initiated with the development of seven science experiments, designing science kits for conducting these experiments, and training the teachers on how to conduct the experiments. When teachers conducted the science experiments with children aged 4 to 6 years, videos were carefully recorded. Video analysis was done through the Behavioural Observation Research Interactive Software (BORIS). For each experiment, ethogram was set with different behaviour codes, selected children as focal subjects, and extracted the data from the software. The results revealed that children showed keen interest in learning science experiments. They acquired basic science concepts and improved their vocabulary. Children not only gained hands-on experience but also nurtured intellectual curiosity and a scientific temper. This research also emphasized the significance of introducing science during the early years of childhood. Science experiments intervention underprivileged children early childhood period behaviour analysis Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 Introduction The early years of life lay a strong foundation for the later stages of the lifespan. National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 states that over 85% of the brain develops by the age of six and emphasizes providing critical importance to cognitive stimulation during early years. One of the objectives of NEP India is “to attain optimal outcomes of cognitive development during early childhood period.” In early childhood, children engage in imaginative play, merging reality with fantasy, and start conceptualizing the world through language. As they transition from relying on sensory experiences to understand the world, they begin grasping fundamental principles about its functioning. Concepts like time, size, distance, and distinguishing between reality and fantasy pose cognitive challenges during this period, yet they are integral to early childhood cognitive development (Lally and Valentine, 2019). Jean Piaget, popularly known for his cognitive development theory, had emphasized cognitive development in the second stage – “pre-operational stage” (2–7 years age group) as it lays the foundation for later stages. According to him, the word operation refers to the use of logical rules. Children at the initial years of the pre-operational stage tend to answer questions intuitively without logic. Later, children will learn to use language and think about the world symbolically. These skills help children develop the foundations they will need to consistently use operations in the next stages. The best time to practice observation and learning skills through experience and environment exploration is during the first six years of life. Learning and classifying science concepts begin at a young age because science is a way of comprehending and interpreting the world. Although the science is mostly ignored during the preschool period, this neglect is attributed to formal perception and presentation of science, abstract concepts involving science, and a negative attitude toward science (Kildan and Pektas, 2009). Exploring the natural world is an integral part of childhood experiences. When science is seen as a method for building comprehension and nurturing ideas, it naturally becomes a key aspect of early childhood education. Children's exploration of relevant phenomena serves not only as a foundation for future science education but also as fertile ground for the development of numerous cognitive skills. Science promotes collaboration, highlighting the importance of teamwork and idea sharing in the learning process (Karen, 2010). Sadegul and Mehtap (2008) stated that through the meaningful and comprehensive acquisition of science concepts during early stages and their subsequent development, children utilize these concepts in innovative learning approaches and recall their prior knowledge. As a result, they achieve success in science and related fields in the later stages of life. Significance of the study Language and cognitive development play pivotal roles in the initial six years of life. Inadequate stimulation during this period can impede brain development, resulting in delays in cognitive, social, and behavioral domains. Elevated levels of stress and adversity in early childhood heighten the likelihood of stress related ailments and learning challenges (Walker et al., 2007). A study found that (McGregor et al., 2007) in developing countries, more than 200 million children under five years fail to reach their cognitive and social development potential due to poverty, poor health, nutrition, and deficit care. The results revealed that most children were exposed to multiple risks including poverty, malnutrition, poor health, and an unstimulating home environment, which detrimentally affects their development. Hence it is very important to provide cognitive stimulation during the early childhood period. Numerous experimental and intervention investigations into cognitive stimulation among young children indicate that those exposed to additional cognitive stimulation or learning opportunities demonstrate higher cognitive functioning compared to those without such stimulation (Pairman et al., 2006). Educating young children in science process skills is vital for fostering their acquisition and mastery of relevant concepts and critical thinking abilities essential for the demands of the contemporary world (Creswell and Guetterman, 2019). Tytler and Peterson's longitudinal research (2003) found that children's aptitude for grasping science exceeds the anticipated standards set by the curriculum. The way early childhood education focuses on pre-reading, pre-writing, and pre-math concepts, it is equally important to concentrate on the basic science skills in the early years. This stimulates their intellectual curiosity and lays the foundation for the scientific temper in the later stages. As preschool children are in the preprocessing stage, it is difficult for them to learn abstract science concepts. During this time, abstract concepts must be presented by associating them with concrete concepts. Associating science activities with science concepts in children's worlds at an early age also helps to develop positive attitudes toward science. The present study aimed to conduct age appropriate science experiments for preschool children and cultivate interest in science during the early childhood period. Aim of the study To select age appropriate science experiments and develop science kits for early childhood education centres. To conduct science experiments for young children through trained teachers. To evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention program through video analysis. Research questions Do children show interest in science experiments? What are the different behaviours children exhibit while conducting science experiments? Do children understand basic science concepts through experiments? How does the intervention program effective in fostering interest in science learning among Anganwadi children? Methodology Research design The exploratory research design was employed for the present study. Sample Compared to private schools, underprivileged children have minimal opportunities in terms of resources, facilities, and infrastructure. In a study, findings revealed that private elementary schools outperform government schools in various aspects, including teachers availability, basic amenities, and resource provision (Deepshikha et al., 2022). The Anganwadi program was initiated by the Government of India in 1975 as part of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme. Anganwadi centers offer a comprehensive range of services, encompassing supplementary nutrition, primary healthcare, and early childhood education to disadvantaged families. In the initial stage of the present study, data was collected from Anganwadi teachers in Telangana state to determine whether they include science activities in their curriculum and if they use any resources to teach science. It was evident that Anganwadi schools do not have access to any resources for teaching science. On the other hand, in private preschools, many resources are available for teaching basic science concepts to their students. This was the main reason for selecting Anganwadi school children as the sample for the current study. In the present study, Anganwadi centers with children aged 4 to 6 years were selected from both urban and rural areas of Telangana state, India. A total of 30 children were chosen from urban centers and 30 from rural centers, making a sample size of 60. The experiments took place in 3 urban and 3 rural Anganwadi schools. Process A vast literature on early childhood engagement in science recommends that it is important to introduce science to preschoolers as it promotes their intellectual curiosity, scientific temper, and cognitive development. It is also important to consider how we can effectively introduce science to this younger age group children. The way preschool children learn letters and numbers through play way method, they also need to learn that "science" exists through simple and easy experiments. When science experiments are shown to children at this age, they seem like magic. Children should be made to understand that it is science, but not magic. Not only do the children realize that the experiments done by the teachers are related to science, but also, teachers can teach the children some basic science concepts by giving them a simple explanation. The research was carried out through five phases : Figure 1: Research overview Phase I: Existing curriculum review of Telanagana State After obtaining permission from the Department of Women Development and Child Welfare (WDCW), researcher reviewed the existing curriculum of Anganwadi centres and primary classes up to the fifth grade. This was done to ascertain whether science activities were included in their academic program and to understand the pedagogical methods teachers were using to teach science to children. It was found that while a few basic science activities were part of the Anganwadi school curriculum, teachers relied on oral explanations to teach the concepts as they were not provided with any resources for teaching science. Phase II: Selection of science experiments and designing the science kit: Following a thorough examination of the existing Anganwadi curriculum, seven science experiments were finalized ( 1 ) Weight ( 2 ) Sound ( 3 ) Sound ( 4 ) Air ( 5 ) Air occupies space ( 6 ) Air pressure ( 7 ) Light refraction. Based on the selected experiments, science kits were designed with age-appropriate, reusable, and cost-effective material for conducting seven science experiments. Table 1 Overview of science experiments Concept Learning objective Experiment question – before the experiment Material used Interactive questions – after the experiment Expected learning outcomes Experiment 1 : Weight – heavy, light and same To teach children about heavy, light and same/equal concepts Do you know what is weight? Pan Balance, 3 colour cards – Red (heavy), Green (light), Yellow (same), available heavy and light weight material like duster, eraser, cotton, paper pieces, etc. 1. Show them the pan balance and ask what is it called? 2. Show them light weight material like cotton, sponge, paper ball and ask them whether it is heavy or light? 3. Show them heavy weight material like pebbles, duster, coins, crayons and ask them whether it is heavy or light? 4. Place two similar objects and ask them which colour card should we use now? • Provides hands-on experience to children. • Children will learn the basic concept of weight - heavy, light and same • Promotes intellectual curiosity of children. • Enhances their vocabulary skills. • Fosters scientific temper. Experiment 2 : Sound To make the children feel the sound in order to help them understand the concept of sound. Can you make the balls jump without touching them? Tuning fork, plastic bowl, wrap roll, pouch with tiny balls and straw pieces 1. Show them the tuning fork and ask them what happened when we placed it on the bowl? 2. Why the balls moved? Is it because of sound? 3. Is this a magic or science? • Hands-on experience. • Children will learn the concept of sound and they can feel the effect of sound. • Develops intellectual curiosity of children. • Enhances their listening skills. • Improves their observation and concentration skills. Experiment 3 : Sound To enable children to experience sound Can you make the water spill without touching it? Tuning fork, plastic bowl, water 1. Show them the tuning fork and ask them what happened when we placed it on the bowl? 2. What happened when we placed it in the water? 3. Why did water splash out? Is it because of sound? 4. Is this a magic or science? • Hands-on experience. • Children will learn the concept of sound and they can feel the effect of sound. • Develops intellectual curiosity of children. • Enhances their listening skills. • Improves their observation and concentration skills. Experiment 4 : Air occupies space To provide hands-on experience to children about how air occupies space Can you dip the cloth in water and then remove it without getting wet? Bowl, water, beaker, two pieces of cotton cloth 1. Show them the wet cotton cloth and ask whether or not it got wet the first time we dipped it in water? 2. Show them the dry cloth and ask if it got wet or dry the second time we dipped it in the water? 3. What caused it to happen? Is it because this beaker contained air? 4. Is it a magic or science? • Children will learn the basic concept of air occupies space. • Observation and concentration skills • Promotes intellectual curiosity and scientific temper. Experiment 5 : Air pressure To provide hands-on experience to children about air pressure Can you turn a glass of water upside down without spilling it? Glass, water, cardboard piece, empty bucket / any large container 1. When we take water in a glass and upside down, the water falls down or not? 2. When I removed my hand from the bottom of the glass, did the water fall down or not? 3. What is there between the glass and cardboard? Is it air? 4. Is this a magic or science? • Children will experience the concept of air pressure. • Develops intellectual curiosity in children. • Improves their observation and concentration skills. • Provides science experience to children. Experiment 6 : Air pressure To provide hands-on experience to children about air pressure Can you make the water rise without touching it? Small plate, water Votive, match box, transparent glass 1. What happened when we put the glass on top of the candle? Was it lighting or had it burn off? 2. What happened to the water? 3. Did I touch the water for raising up? How did it happen? 4. Is it a magic or science? • Children will learn about the concept of air pressure. • Develops intellectual curiosity of children. • Improves their observation and concentration skills. • Provides science experience to children. Experiment 7 : Light refraction To provide hands-on experience to children about lighting refraction Can you change the direction of the image without touching it? Transparent glass, water, picture cards 1. What happened when we looked behind the water glass at the picture? Did it appear reverse? 2. Why did it happen? Is it because of the light? 3. Is this a magic or science? • Hands-on experience • Children will experience the concept of light refraction. • Develops intellectual curiosity of children. • Enhances their vocabulary skills. • Improves their observation and concentration skills. Phase III: Teacher training program on how to conduct science experiments: The role of early education centre teachers is pivotal in fostering the development and learning of children. A training session was conducted for selected Anganwadi teachers on introducing science experiments to young children and stimulating their interest in science. The science kits were provided to Anganwadi teachers, and ICT material was supplied as a reinforcement activity after the training program. Phase IV: Conducting science experiments for children – The role of the teacher Trained Anganwadi teachers conducted seven science experiments for Anganwadi children. Each experiment was conducted in small groups using the demonstration method, allowing children to actively participate throughout the activity. Each experiment lasted for about 15–20 minutes, considering the attention span of children. The experiments began with a small science song, giving children a hint that the teacher was about to start a science experiment with the science kits. The teacher introduced the materials for each experiment, maintaining a continuous conversation with the students throughout. The conversation between teacher and students in experiment 1 is as follows: Teacher: Children, have you ever seen this? Do you know what is this (showing the pan balance) Children: No, teacher, we don't know, and we have never seen this before. Teacher: Have you ever visited the vegetable market with your parents? Children: Yes, teacher. We have visited the vegetable market with Mom. Teacher: That's good. Have you noticed how the vegetable vendor weighs vegetables? Did he use this kind of big pan balance? Children: Yes, teacher, he puts vegetables in that basket. Teacher: Good, children. That's how we weigh vegetables, fruits, and groceries. So, today we are going to learn about weight. This is called "pan balance." What is this called? Children: Pan balance, teacher. Teacher: It has two pans. One is for keeping the material, and the other one is for checking its weight. Children, now I will give you some material, and each one of you should hold and name it. (provided with materials like cotton, sponge, paper pieces, duster, coins, pebbles, etc). Children: This is cotton, teacher. Teacher: Good job. Can you tell me whether it is heavy or light in weight? Children: Don’t know teacher. Teacher: No problem, let's do an experiment now. I will place cotton in one pan and coins in the other pan. Which is heavy and which is light among these, we will observe. Which of these pans collapses? Children: The one with coins collapsed, teacher. Teacher: Yes, that means coins are heavier than cotton. Now, I want you to try with different materials available here and tell me which material is heavy and which one is light in weight? Good job, children. Now, let's do something interesting. I will place the same material in both pans. You have to observe carefully and tell me which is heavy. I have placed 5 coins in each pan. Let me see who is going to answer my question. Children: Teacher, none of the pans collapsed. Teacher: Yes, because they are the same. When we place the same material, the pan balances equally, which means both are equal or weigh the same. Everyone, take the material and try this. Well done, kids. Claps for you all. This is not magic, children. do you know what this is? This is called "Science." What is this? Children: This is Science. After completing the experiment, the teacher ensured that every child had the opportunity to participate. At the end of each experiment, teachers asked interactive questions to gauge the children's understanding. Phase V: Collecting data through videos and behaviour ethogram analysis It is not possible to administer a written tool to assess the understanding levels of preschool age children and evaluate the program. The best approach would be to capture their behaviour through video and analyze the data by coding behaviour ethogram. According to Heyman et al., (2018), behavioural observation involves systematically recording specific behaviours of an individual or group within a particular context of interest by visually or audibly observing and documenting their actions. All the experiments were carefully video recorded and saved for data analysis purpose. BORIS (Behavioural Observation Research Interactive Software) was used for data analysis. BORIS is a free, open-source program designed for reviewing previously recorded videos or live observations. It allows users to create a customized coding environment tailored to their specific needs. Users can define a project based ethogram, which includes a list of observations. Once the ethogram is set, users can conduct coding using pre-assigned keys for state or point events, or both. After the coding process is completed, the program can automatically extract time budget or single or grouped observations and provide a summary of the main behavioural features at a glance. The observation data and time budget analysis can be exported in various common formats such as MSExcel and various graphic formats (BORIS documentation, 2023). From BORIS, the data was extracted to measure the frequency and duration of the codes of various behaviours. All codes were measured in terms of duration, quantified in seconds, and the number of occurrences. Results and Discussion Table 2 Distribution of sample as per their Residence, Gender, and Age (N = 60) Item Number % Residence Urban 30 50 Rural 30 50 Gender Boys 34 57 Girls 26 43 Age 4 years 26 43 5 years 24 40 6 years 10 17 Table 2 demonstrates the distribution of demographic characteristics among Anganwadi children. Regarding their location, an equal proportion of participants, comprising 50%, hail from urban and rural areas of Telangana state in India respectively. Gender-wise, the participants consist of 57% boys and 43% girls. In terms of age distribution, 43% of the children fall within the 4 year old category, 40% are aged 5 years, and the remaining 17% belong to the 6 year old age group. Table 3 Behaviour coding for science experiment 1: Weight Behaviour code Description Observation Percentage of total length Answering teacher’s questions As children answer questions raised by the teacher, it indicates that children are attentive and trying to understand the activity. According to Dondu (2020), teachers' formulation of questions fosters inventive responses that unveil children’s distinct thoughts and understanding of the concepts. State event 78.42 Children using hand gestures When children show hand gestures like raising hands, pointing out their finger towards science material, it means they are showing interest in the the activity. Students’ hand raising in the classroom is among the most notable behaviours, as it signifies their entry point into verbal engagement and collaborative sense-making (Ricardo, 2020). State event 51.52 Curiosity During the experiment, children widening their eyes with surprise, placing their hands on their cheeks, and saying "wow," coming closer to the experiment were recorded as codes for curiosity. Sule and Ipek (2022) found that their intervention enhances curiosity, retention of knowledge, and science test scores among elementary school children, establishing a significant relationship between curiosity and reflective learning. State event 72.92 Smiling Children's facial expressions of smiles indicate their enjoyment of the activity. This was recorded as a point event because it lasts for a fraction of seconds. Dania’s research (2012) found that students' natural smiles in the classroom played a pivotal role as an essential nonverbal cue, promoting closer relationships among students and aiding in the collaborative construction of oral activities during group work. Point event 35.17 Nodding head side to side When the teacher asks questions to the children and they respond by nodding their heads from side to side, it indicates that they understood the explanation. This was recorded as a point event because it lasts for a fraction of seconds. Body language and nonverbal cues can spark students' interest in learning and ease the challenges of classroom instructions (Hui, 2016). Point event 24.67 Clapping Children clap their hands when they enjoy the activity and it makes fun. Yuri (2010) found that the applause observed in her data typically originated from the teacher and often occurred at the end of a sequence, serving as positive feedback for students' successful completion of tasks aligned with the teacher's expectations. State event 5.72 Children participation This is about how much duration children were involved in the science experiment by using the material and tried on their own. Engaging in hands-on experiments enhances students' learning and nurtures their intrinsic motivation (Evelyn, 2014). State event 41.43 Science terminology Throughout the activity, how many times children used science terminology like "science experiment," "weight," "heavy," and "light" etc, were recorded. Children develop their vocabulary by engaging in meaningful, two way discussions with teachers of their languages, especially when using uncommon or advanced vocabulary terms (Barbara, 2020). State event 42.73 The ethogram was set with a total number of 8 behaviours for the first experiment. As there was a continuous conversation between teacher and students throughout the activity, 78.42% of the total video length, children were answering teachers’ questions. The data shows that almost half of the experiment time (51.52%) was spent by children using hand gestures, such as raising hands and pointing their fingers towards science materials. Children displayed curiosity by observing the movement of the pan balance and moving closer to it, which recorded for 72.92% of the total duration. Smiling, recorded as a point event, occurred 211 times (35.17%), while nodding heads was observed 148 times (24.67%), indicating significant occurrences. Towards the end of the experiment, children clapped their hands, which accounted for 5.72% of the total length. Children's independent involvement in conducting the experiment was recorded at 41.43%, demonstrating their significant engagement. The frequency of children using science terminology indicates their understanding of basic science concepts and vocabulary enhancement, recorded at 42.73%. Table 4 Behaviour coding for science experiment 2 and 3: Sound Behaviour code Observation Experiment 2 Percentage of total length Experiment 3 Percentage of total length Answering teacher’s questions State event 41.63 51.58 Children using hand gestures State event 44.42 49.62 Curiosity State event 63.32 86.15 Smiling Point event 27.67 26.33 Nodding Point event 16.33 11.50 Clapping State event 10.48 24.40 Children participation State event 37.23 53.38 Science terminology State event 12.53 18.63 There were two experiments with the objective that children would experience "sound." In the second experiment, when children placed a tuning fork on the surface of a bowl wrapped in foil with thermocol balls on the surface, the balls started jumping due to the sound vibrations produced by the tuning fork. In the third experiment, when the tuning fork was placed on the surface of a bowl of water, water splashed up because of the sound vibrations. It was noticed that children enjoyed these two experiments and experienced the sound. For the sound experiments, the ethogram was configured with a total of 8 behaviours. In the second experiment, 41.63% of the total duration was recorded as children answering the teacher’s questions, while in the third experiment, this duration was documented as 51.58%. The percentage of children using hand gestures, like pointing out fingers towards the material, was recorded as 44.42% and 49.62% respectively in the second and third experiments. Children displayed curiosity and excitement when the balls started jumping and water splashed out. Some kids screamed with joy and widened their eyes. The level of curiosity was recorded as 63.32% in the second experiment, whereas it was notably higher at 86.15% in the third experiment. Smiling and nodding of the head were coded as point events, with the total number of occurrences for smiling accounted for as 166 (27.67%) and 158 (26.33%) in the second and third experiments, respectively. Similarly, nodding of the head was recorded as 98 (16.33%) and 69 (11.50%) occurrences in the second and third experiments. Children clapping was recorded as 10.48% in the second experiment and 24.40% in the third experiment. Throughout the duration of the experiment, children participated for 37.23% of the time in the second experiment and 53.38% in the third experiment. Regarding the use of science terminology such as "science experiment," "sound," and "sound vibration," durations of 12.53% and 18.63% were recorded for the second and third experiments, respectively. Table 5 Behaviour coding for science experiment 4, 5 and 6: Air Behaviour code Observation Experiment 4 Percentage of total length Experiment 5 Percentage of total length Experiment 6 Percentage of total length Answering teacher’s questions State event 72.07 72.63 74.47 Curiosity State event 81.78 88.03 91.52 Smiling Point event 23.67 19.17 20.83 Nodding Point event 18.33 13.00 16.50 Clapping State event 6.54 8.87 6.22 Children participation State event 44.53 24.26 -- Science terminology State event 15.02 16.60 15.67 The fourth experiment explored the concept of "air occupies space." A bowl was filled with water, and a dry cloth was inserted into a glass. When the glass was submerged in water for some time and then removed, the cloth remained dry due to the presence of air. In the fifth experiment, a glass filled with water had a piece of cardboard placed over it, and when the glass was inverted, the water did not spill out due to air pressure. The sixth experiment involved filling a small plate with water and lighting a votive candle. When an empty transparent glass is placed over the votive, the candle goes out, and the water level rises in the glass because of changes in air pressure. The ethogram was set with 7 behaviour codes for the three air experiments. Children answering teacher’s questions were recorded as 72.07% for the fourth experiment, 72.63% for the fifth, and 74.47% for the sixth experiment, respectively. Children exhibited curious behaviour such as moving closer to the experiment area, showing excitement to touch the materials, and displaying interest in participating in the activity. These behaviours were documented as curiosity, and the scores were significantly higher among the three experiments, noted as 81.78%, 88.03%, and 91.52% for the fourth, fifth, and sixth experiments. The occurrence of smiling as a point event was recorded as 142 (23.67%) for the fourth experiment, 115 (19.17%) for the fifth experiment, and 125 (20.83%) for the sixth experiment. For nodding head side to side, the total number of occurrences was recorded as 110 (18.33%), 78 (13.00%), and 99 (16.50%) for the 4th, 5th, and 6th experiments, respectively. Children clapping hands accounted for 6.54%, 8.87%, and 6.22% in these three experiments. The participation of children was recorded as 44.53% for the fourth experiment and 24.26% for the fifth experiment, while children's participation was not possible for the sixth experiment due to the hazardous nature of the lighting candle. Regarding the use of science terms such as “air”, “air pressure”, and “science experiment”, the duration was recorded as 15.02%, 16.60%, and 15.67% for the fourth, fifth, and sixth experiments, respectively. Table 6 Behaviour coding for science experiment 7: Light Behaviour code Observation Percentage of total length Answering teacher’s questions State event 85.18 Surprise State event 26.35 Curiosity State event 93.28 Smiling Point event 19.00 Nodding Point event 16.83 Clapping State event 7.12 Children participation State event 63.25 Science terminology State event 14.77 Table 6 illustrates the ethogram behaviour coding analysis of the light refraction experiment. In this experiment, picture cards were positioned behind the transparent water glass. As the child stands in front of the glass and looks at the picture through the water glass, he observes that the direction of the picture changes from left to right or right to left due to light refraction. In this experiment, children answering teacher’s questions was recorded at 85.18%, which is a significant portion of the overall duration of the experiment. It was observed that when children noticed the change in the direction of the picture, they exhibited surprised expressions such as widened eyes, a big smile on their faces, and repeatedly trying to look at the pictures. These behaviours were recorded as 26.35%. Children showed curiosity throughout the experiment by raising their hands to participate, expressing interest in seeing more pictures through the glass, etc., which was documented as 93.28%. Point events smiling and nodding occurrences were recorded at 114 (19.00%) and 101 (16.83%) respectively. Children clapping hands was accounted for at 7.12%. Throughout the experiment, children's involvement was noted at 63.25%. Their usage of science terms like science experiment, light, light refraction, and direction of the pictures was recorded at 14.77%. Conclusion The exploratory research focused on developing interest in science during early childhood period, with disadvantaged children as the primary beneficiaries. The study involved conducting science experiments for children aged 4 to 6 years and evaluating the program's effectiveness through video analysis. The main findings can be summarized as follows: Children Answering Teachers' Questions : Due to the ongoing dialogue between teachers and students throughout the experiments, over 75% of the total duration was recorded as children answering questions in nearly all the experiments. Children Using Hand Gestures : A significant percentage of hand gestures, such as raising hands and pointing towards science materials, were observed, and documented. Curiosity : Children exhibited curious expressions ranging from 63–93% across the seven experiments, indicating a notable level of interest. Smiling and Nodding Head : These behaviours were categorized as point events, and a significant number of occurrences were recorded in all the experiments. Clapping : Children clapping hands at the end of the experiments ranged from 6–24% across the seven experiments. Children Participation : The data revealed that children had the opportunity to participate in all the experiments for a considerable amount of time. Participation was restricted in the sixth experiment due to safety precautions. Science Terminology : In all seven experiments, children used science terms, demonstrating their awareness and understanding of scientific concepts. Thus, it can be inferred from above findings that children exhibited interest in learning science experiments. They learned basic science concepts and enhanced their vocabulary. Children not only had hands-on experience but also developed intellectual curiosity and scientific temper. This study also underscored the importance of science during the early childhood period. When underprivileged children are provided with learning opportunities and resources, we can enhance the quality of their education. Recommendations The promising results of engaging in science activities during the preschool years are likely to positively impact children's future academic success. Therefore, age-appropriate science experiments and activities should be integrated into the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) curriculum. If teachers have limited scientific knowledge, and lack confidence in their ability to teach science to children, they may struggle to spark interest in science among their students. Therefore, it is crucial to educate and train teachers on effectively introducing science activities to young children. In the future, more research should be conducted on science during early years. Declarations Ethical Approval Consent for the study was attained from all stakeholders, including the Women Development and Child Welfare Department (WDCD), teachers, and parents. All experimental protocols were approved by the university review board and/or licensing ethics committee of Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Hyderabad. Only children whose parents consented to their participation were included in the data collection process, and the consent also covered publishing rights. Informed consent was obtained by teachers and parents, and the authors attest that the participants/parents were aware of the study's purpose, risks, and benefits. Conflict of interest disclosure The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest. Author Contribution The entire research work, including data analysis and the research article, was written by the first author, SASL, while the second author, NRR, monitored and supervised the entire process. Acknowledgement Authors acknowledge Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, for financial support vide reference no. DST/CSRI-PDF/2021/26 under Cognitive Science Research Initiative (CSRI) to carry out this work.Authors acknowledge the host institute Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Hyderabad for support to carry out the research. Data Availability Data is provided within the menuscript References Barbara AW, & Annemarie, HH. Increasing preschoolers’ vocabulary development through a streamlined teacher professional development intervention. Early Childhood Research Quarterly. 2020; 50. 101–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.11.001 Creswell JW, Guetterman, TC. “Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research,” 2019; 6th ed, Pearson, 82–103. Daniela GAN. Student’s spontaneous smile in EFL classroom. International Congress of Language and Interaciton II. Signotica, Goiania. 2012; 24(2). 449–467. DOI: 10.5216/sig.v24i2.17248 Deepshikha B, Bidisha K, Chetana D & Chenkhyo C. Comparative analysis of government and private schools at elementary level: A study of Dibrugarh district of Assam. Journal Of Positive School Psychology. 2022; 6(12). 2398–2405. Dondu NB. Teachers’ Questions and Children’s Answers Administered during the “Question of the Day” Practice in a Kindergarten of Turkey. International Journal of Progressive Education. 2020; 16(4). 172–191. DOI: 10.29329/ijpe.2020.268.11 Evelyn WZS. A study on the effectiveness of hands-on experiments in learning science among year 4 students. International Online Journal of Primary Education. 2014; 3(1). 20–31. Heyman RE, Lorber MF, Eddy JM, & West TV. Behavioral Observation and Coding. In Handbook of Research Methods in Social and Personality Psychology, edited by H. T. Reis and C. M. Judd, 2018; 345–372. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Hui Y. On the Effective Way of Body Language in the Primary English Teaching. 2nd International Conference on Economy, Management and Education Technology (ICEMET 2016). 2016; 711–714. Retrieved March 7, 2024, from https://www.atlantis-press.com/article/25855290.pdf Karen W. Science in Early Childhood Classrooms: Content and Process. SEED: Collected Papers from the SEED (STEM in Early Education and Development) Conference. 2010; Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://ecrp.illinois.edu/beyond/seed/worth.html Kıldan O, Pektas M. Identifying preschool teachers’ views as regards teaching science and nature related topics in pre childhood age. Ahi Evran University Journal of Kırşehir Education Faculty, 2009; 10 (1), 113–127. Lally M, French SV. Lifespan Development, A Psychological Perspective, Second Edition. Creative Commons, California, USA. 2019; Retrieved March 7, 2024, from http://dept.clcillinois.edu/psy/LifespanDevelopment.pdf McGregor SG, Cheung YB, Cueto S, Glewwe P, Richter L, & Strupp B. Developmental potential in the first 5 years for children in developing countries. Child Development in Developing Countries. 2007; 369 (9555), 60–70. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60032-4 . National Education Policy 2020, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. 2020; Retrieved Retrieved January 14, 2024, from https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/NEP_Final_English_0.pdf Pairman S, Pincombe J, Thorogood C, & Tracy S. Midwifery: preparation for practice. Women and Birth. 2006; 19(4).117–118. DOI: 10.1016/j.wombi.2006.08.002 Ricardo B, Tim U, Maximillian K, & Tina S. Student Hand-raising As an Indicator of Behavioral Engagement and Its Role in Classroom Learning. Contemporary Educational Psychology 2020; 62(1). DOI: 10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101894 Sadegul AA, & Mehtap C. Factors Affecting Student Success on Exams: The case of Successful cities on LGS/ÖSS Exams. Elementary Education Online, 2008; 7 (1), 157–173. Sule A, Ipek M. Nurturing Childhood Curiosity to Enhance Learning: Evidence from a Randomized Pedagogical Intervention. The Abdul Latif Jameel poverty action lab research paper. 2022; 1–61. Retrieved March 10, 2024 https://www.povertyactionlab.org/sites/default/files/research-paper/Curiosity_Alan_Mumcu.pdf Tytler R, Peterson S. Tracing young children's scientific reasoning, Research in Science Education, 2003; 33,433–465. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:RISE.0000005250.04426.67 Walker SP, Wachs TD, Gardner JM, Lozoff B, Wasserman GA, Pollitt E, & Carter JA. Child development: Risk factors for adverse outcomes in developing countries. Child Development in Developing Countries. 2007; 369 (9556), 145–57. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60076-2 . Yuri H. Positions and actions of classroom-specific applause. Pragmatics Quarterly Publication of the International Pragmatics Association. 2010; 20(2).113–148. DOI: 10.1075/prag.20.2.01hos Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4358681","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":309939125,"identity":"a76f22ff-ae7e-4d4c-ba16-c2375bbfb89f","order_by":0,"name":"Dr. Sowmya ASL","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA5klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJADxgdAgoePFC3MBiAtbKRoYZMAk4SUyc8+fPABwx+bxLUzkp9Vfs2xk2FjYH746AYeLQbn0pINGNvSErfdSDO7LbstGegwNmPjHHxaeHjMJBgbDuduu5FgdltyGzNQCw+bND4t8j38338w/AFpSf9WLLmtnrAWhjOgIGIDackxY/y47TBhLQZn2IwlEtvS6redeVMszbjtOA8bMwG/yPcwP/zw4Y+Nsdnx9I0ff26rtudnb374GK/DQCABRAgkMDDzgBjMhJTDAf8BBsYfRKseBaNgFIyCkQQA/klGcZHkBsAAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"Dr.","firstName":"Sowmya","middleName":"","lastName":"ASL","suffix":""},{"id":309939128,"identity":"c01956db-42ac-4d1d-b825-f34a9a836e29","order_by":1,"name":"Dr. Neela Rani R","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural 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18:49:46","extension":"jpg","order_by":8,"title":"Figure 8","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":40806,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLight refraction experiment\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Picture7.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4358681/v1/11ec7d6ac28797f70dd1663b.jpg"},{"id":58309681,"identity":"825cad36-d852-46d8-b015-66b6dfadb8b9","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-13 18:57:45","extension":"jpg","order_by":9,"title":"Figure 9","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":50722,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eVideo analysis through BORIS software\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Picture8.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4358681/v1/5ea770fd9f23d11885eeeb56.jpg"},{"id":58308800,"identity":"5ba1a4d7-e386-4b57-9fbb-e13748077628","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-13 18:49:46","extension":"jpg","order_by":10,"title":"Figure 10","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":29829,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eBehaviour coding graph\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Picture9.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4358681/v1/02ec49c11b842bb428c61286.jpg"},{"id":59985217,"identity":"6702fcbb-9d2b-4917-951b-d6b7b10d0c40","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-07-10 07:08:51","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1487576,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4358681/v1/2753585c-1691-4311-a36a-fa021f3ccd84.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Emerging Interest in Science during Early Childhood Period and Evaluating its Effectiveness","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe early years of life lay a strong foundation for the later stages of the lifespan. National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 states that over 85% of the brain develops by the age of six and emphasizes providing critical importance to cognitive stimulation during early years. One of the objectives of NEP India is \u0026ldquo;to attain optimal outcomes of cognitive development during early childhood period.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn early childhood, children engage in imaginative play, merging reality with fantasy, and start conceptualizing the world through language. As they transition from relying on sensory experiences to understand the world, they begin grasping fundamental principles about its functioning. Concepts like time, size, distance, and distinguishing between reality and fantasy pose cognitive challenges during this period, yet they are integral to early childhood cognitive development (Lally and Valentine, 2019).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eJean Piaget, popularly known for his cognitive development theory, had emphasized cognitive development in the second stage \u0026ndash; \u0026ldquo;pre-operational stage\u0026rdquo; (2\u0026ndash;7 years age group) as it lays the foundation for later stages. According to him, the word operation refers to the use of logical rules. Children at the initial years of the pre-operational stage tend to answer questions intuitively without logic. Later, children will learn to use language and think about the world symbolically. These skills help children develop the foundations they will need to consistently use operations in the next stages.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe best time to practice observation and learning skills through experience and environment exploration is during the first six years of life. Learning and classifying science concepts begin at a young age because science is a way of comprehending and interpreting the world. Although the science is mostly ignored during the preschool period, this neglect is attributed to formal perception and presentation of science, abstract concepts involving science, and a negative attitude toward science (Kildan and Pektas, 2009).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eExploring the natural world is an integral part of childhood experiences. When science is seen as a method for building comprehension and nurturing ideas, it naturally becomes a key aspect of early childhood education. Children's exploration of relevant phenomena serves not only as a foundation for future science education but also as fertile ground for the development of numerous cognitive skills. Science promotes collaboration, highlighting the importance of teamwork and idea sharing in the learning process (Karen, 2010).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSadegul and Mehtap (2008) stated that through the meaningful and comprehensive acquisition of science concepts during early stages and their subsequent development, children utilize these concepts in innovative learning approaches and recall their prior knowledge. As a result, they achieve success in science and related fields in the later stages of life.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec2\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eSignificance of the study\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eLanguage and cognitive development play pivotal roles in the initial six years of life. Inadequate stimulation during this period can impede brain development, resulting in delays in cognitive, social, and behavioral domains. Elevated levels of stress and adversity in early childhood heighten the likelihood of stress related ailments and learning challenges (Walker et al., 2007).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA study found that (McGregor et al., 2007) in developing countries, more than 200\u0026nbsp;million children under five years fail to reach their cognitive and social development potential due to poverty, poor health, nutrition, and deficit care. The results revealed that most children were exposed to multiple risks including poverty, malnutrition, poor health, and an unstimulating home environment, which detrimentally affects their development.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHence it is very important to provide cognitive stimulation during the early childhood period. Numerous experimental and intervention investigations into cognitive stimulation among young children indicate that those exposed to additional cognitive stimulation or learning opportunities demonstrate higher cognitive functioning compared to those without such stimulation (Pairman et al., 2006).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEducating young children in science process skills is vital for fostering their acquisition and mastery of relevant concepts and critical thinking abilities essential for the demands of the contemporary world (Creswell and Guetterman, 2019). Tytler and Peterson's longitudinal research (2003) found that children's aptitude for grasping science exceeds the anticipated standards set by the curriculum.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe way early childhood education focuses on pre-reading, pre-writing, and pre-math concepts, it is equally important to concentrate on the basic science skills in the early years. This stimulates their intellectual curiosity and lays the foundation for the scientific temper in the later stages. As preschool children are in the preprocessing stage, it is difficult for them to learn abstract science concepts. During this time, abstract concepts must be presented by associating them with concrete concepts. Associating science activities with science concepts in children's worlds at an early age also helps to develop positive attitudes toward science.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe present study aimed to conduct age appropriate science experiments for preschool children and cultivate interest in science during the early childhood period.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eAim of the study\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003col\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo select age appropriate science experiments and develop science kits for early childhood education centres.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo conduct science experiments for young children through trained teachers.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention program through video analysis.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/ol\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eResearch questions\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003col\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eDo children show interest in science experiments?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhat are the different behaviours children exhibit while conducting science experiments?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eDo children understand basic science concepts through experiments?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eHow does the intervention program effective in fostering interest in science learning among Anganwadi children?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/ol\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Methodology","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eResearch design\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe exploratory research design was employed for the present study.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSample\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCompared to private schools, underprivileged children have minimal opportunities in terms of resources, facilities, and infrastructure. In a study, findings revealed that private elementary schools outperform government schools in various aspects, including teachers availability, basic amenities, and resource provision (Deepshikha et al., 2022).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Anganwadi program was initiated by the Government of India in 1975 as part of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme. Anganwadi centers offer a comprehensive range of services, encompassing supplementary nutrition, primary healthcare, and early childhood education to disadvantaged families.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the initial stage of the present study, data was collected from Anganwadi teachers in Telangana state to determine whether they include science activities in their curriculum and if they use any resources to teach science. It was evident that Anganwadi schools do not have access to any resources for teaching science. On the other hand, in private preschools, many resources are available for teaching basic science concepts to their students. This was the main reason for selecting Anganwadi school children as the sample for the current study.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the present study, Anganwadi centers with children aged 4 to 6 years were selected from both urban and rural areas of Telangana state, India. A total of 30 children were chosen from urban centers and 30 from rural centers, making a sample size of 60. The experiments took place in 3 urban and 3 rural Anganwadi schools.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eProcess\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA vast literature on early childhood engagement in science recommends that it is important to introduce science to preschoolers as it promotes their intellectual curiosity, scientific temper, and cognitive development. It is also important to consider how we can effectively introduce science to this younger age group children.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe way preschool children learn letters and numbers through play way method, they also need to learn that \"science\" exists through simple and easy experiments. When science experiments are shown to children at this age, they seem like magic. Children should be made to understand that it is science, but not magic. Not only do the children realize that the experiments done by the teachers are related to science, but also, teachers can teach the children some basic science concepts by giving them a simple explanation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe research was carried out through five phases\u003c/b\u003e: \u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigure\u0026nbsp;1: Research overview\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003ePhase I: Existing curriculum review of Telanagana State\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfter obtaining permission from the Department of Women Development and Child Welfare (WDCW), researcher reviewed the existing curriculum of Anganwadi centres and primary classes up to the fifth grade. This was done to ascertain whether science activities were included in their academic program and to understand the pedagogical methods teachers were using to teach science to children. It was found that while a few basic science activities were part of the Anganwadi school curriculum, teachers relied on oral explanations to teach the concepts as they were not provided with any resources for teaching science.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003ePhase II: Selection of science experiments and designing the science kit:\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFollowing a thorough examination of the existing Anganwadi curriculum, seven science experiments were finalized (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e) Weight (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e) Sound (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e) Sound (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e) Air (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e) Air occupies space (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e) Air pressure (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e) Light refraction. Based on the selected experiments, science kits were designed with age-appropriate, reusable, and cost-effective material for conducting seven science experiments.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverview of science experiments\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConcept\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLearning objective\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eExperiment question \u0026ndash; before the experiment\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMaterial used\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInteractive questions \u0026ndash; after the experiment\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eExpected learning outcomes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eExperiment 1\u003c/em\u003e: Weight \u0026ndash; heavy, light and same\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo teach children about heavy, light and same/equal concepts\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDo you know what is weight?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePan Balance, 3 colour cards \u0026ndash; Red (heavy), Green (light), Yellow (same), available heavy and light weight material like duster, eraser, cotton, paper pieces, etc.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1. Show them the pan balance and ask what is it called?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e2. Show them light weight material like cotton, sponge, paper ball and ask them whether it is heavy or light?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e3. Show them heavy weight material like pebbles, duster, coins, crayons and ask them whether it is heavy or light?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e4. Place two similar objects and ask them which colour card should we use now?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Provides hands-on experience to children.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Children will learn the basic concept of weight - heavy, light and same\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Promotes intellectual curiosity of children.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Enhances their vocabulary skills.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Fosters scientific temper.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eExperiment 2\u003c/em\u003e: Sound\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo make the children feel the sound in order to help them understand the concept of sound.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCan you make the balls jump without touching them?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTuning fork, plastic bowl, wrap roll, pouch with tiny balls and straw pieces\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1. Show them the tuning fork and ask them what happened when we placed it on the bowl?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e2. Why the balls moved? Is it because of sound?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e3. Is this a magic or science?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Hands-on experience.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Children will learn the concept of sound and they can feel the effect of sound.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Develops intellectual curiosity of children.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Enhances their listening skills.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Improves their observation and concentration skills.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eExperiment 3\u003c/em\u003e: Sound\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo enable children to experience sound\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCan you make the water spill without touching it?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTuning fork, plastic bowl, water\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1. Show them the tuning fork and ask them what happened when we placed it on the bowl?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e2. What happened when we placed it in the water?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e3. Why did water splash out? Is it because of sound?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e4. Is this a magic or science?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Hands-on experience.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Children will learn the concept of sound and they can feel the effect of sound.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Develops intellectual curiosity of children.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Enhances their listening skills.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Improves their observation and concentration skills.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eExperiment 4\u003c/em\u003e: Air occupies space\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo provide hands-on experience to children about how air occupies space\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCan you dip the cloth in water and then remove it without getting wet?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBowl, water, beaker, two pieces of cotton cloth\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1. Show them the wet cotton cloth and ask whether or not it got wet the first time we dipped it in water?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e2. Show them the dry cloth and ask if it got wet or dry the second time we dipped it in the water?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e3. What caused it to happen? Is it because this beaker contained air?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e4. Is it a magic or science?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Children will learn the basic concept of air occupies space.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Observation and concentration skills\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Promotes intellectual curiosity and scientific temper.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eExperiment 5\u003c/em\u003e: Air pressure\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo provide hands-on experience to children about air pressure\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCan you turn a glass of water upside down without spilling it?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGlass, water, cardboard piece, empty bucket / any large container\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1. When we take water in a glass and upside down, the water falls down or not?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e2. When I removed my hand from the bottom of the glass, did the water fall down or not?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e3. What is there between the glass and cardboard? Is it air?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e4. Is this a magic or science?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Children will experience the concept of air pressure.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Develops intellectual curiosity in children.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Improves their observation and concentration skills.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Provides science experience to children.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eExperiment 6\u003c/em\u003e: Air pressure\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo provide hands-on experience to children about air pressure\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCan you make the water rise without touching it?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSmall plate, water\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eVotive, match box, transparent glass\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1. What happened when we put the glass on top of the candle? Was it lighting or had it burn off?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e2. What happened to the water?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e3. Did I touch the water for raising up? How did it happen?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e4. Is it a magic or science?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Children will learn about the concept of air pressure.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Develops intellectual curiosity of children.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Improves their observation and concentration skills.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Provides science experience to children.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eExperiment 7\u003c/em\u003e: Light refraction\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo provide hands-on experience to children about lighting refraction\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCan you change the direction of the image without touching it?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTransparent glass, water, picture cards\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1. What happened when we looked behind the water glass at the picture? Did it appear reverse?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e2. Why did it happen? Is it because of the light?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e3. Is this a magic or science?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Hands-on experience\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Children will experience the concept of light refraction.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Develops intellectual curiosity of children.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Enhances their vocabulary skills.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026bull; Improves their observation and concentration skills.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003ePhase III: Teacher training program on how to conduct science experiments:\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe role of early education centre teachers is pivotal in fostering the development and learning of children. A training session was conducted for selected Anganwadi teachers on introducing science experiments to young children and stimulating their interest in science. The science kits were provided to Anganwadi teachers, and ICT material was supplied as a reinforcement activity after the training program.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003ePhase IV: Conducting science experiments for children \u0026ndash; The role of the teacher\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTrained Anganwadi teachers conducted seven science experiments for Anganwadi children. Each experiment was conducted in small groups using the demonstration method, allowing children to actively participate throughout the activity. Each experiment lasted for about 15\u0026ndash;20 minutes, considering the attention span of children. The experiments began with a small science song, giving children a hint that the teacher was about to start a science experiment with the science kits.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe teacher introduced the materials for each experiment, maintaining a continuous conversation with the students throughout. The conversation between teacher and students in experiment 1 is as follows:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTeacher: Children, have you ever seen this? Do you know what is this (showing the pan balance)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChildren: No, teacher, we don't know, and we have never seen this before.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTeacher: Have you ever visited the vegetable market with your parents?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChildren: Yes, teacher. We have visited the vegetable market with Mom.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTeacher: That's good. Have you noticed how the vegetable vendor weighs vegetables? Did he use this kind of big pan balance?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChildren: Yes, teacher, he puts vegetables in that basket.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTeacher: Good, children. That's how we weigh vegetables, fruits, and groceries. So, today we are going to learn about weight. This is called \"pan balance.\" What is this called?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChildren: Pan balance, teacher.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTeacher: It has two pans. One is for keeping the material, and the other one is for checking its weight. Children, now I will give you some material, and each one of you should hold and name it. (provided with materials like cotton, sponge, paper pieces, duster, coins, pebbles, etc).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChildren: This is cotton, teacher.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTeacher: Good job. Can you tell me whether it is heavy or light in weight?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChildren: Don\u0026rsquo;t know teacher.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTeacher: No problem, let's do an experiment now. I will place cotton in one pan and coins in the other pan. Which is heavy and which is light among these, we will observe. Which of these pans collapses?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChildren: The one with coins collapsed, teacher.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTeacher: Yes, that means coins are heavier than cotton. Now, I want you to try with different materials available here and tell me which material is heavy and which one is light in weight? Good job, children. Now, let's do something interesting. I will place the same material in both pans. You have to observe carefully and tell me which is heavy. I have placed 5 coins in each pan. Let me see who is going to answer my question.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChildren: Teacher, none of the pans collapsed.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTeacher: Yes, because they are the same. When we place the same material, the pan balances equally, which means both are equal or weigh the same. Everyone, take the material and try this.\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWell done, kids. Claps for you all. This is not magic, children. do you know what this is? This is called \"Science.\" What is this?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChildren: This is Science.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfter completing the experiment, the teacher ensured that every child had the opportunity to participate. At the end of each experiment, teachers asked interactive questions to gauge the children's understanding.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003ePhase V: Collecting data through videos and behaviour ethogram analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt is not possible to administer a written tool to assess the understanding levels of preschool age children and evaluate the program. The best approach would be to capture their behaviour through video and analyze the data by coding behaviour ethogram. According to Heyman et al., (2018), behavioural observation involves systematically recording specific behaviours of an individual or group within a particular context of interest by visually or audibly observing and documenting their actions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAll the experiments were carefully video recorded and saved for data analysis purpose. BORIS (Behavioural Observation Research Interactive Software) was used for data analysis. BORIS is a free, open-source program designed for reviewing previously recorded videos or live observations. It allows users to create a customized coding environment tailored to their specific needs. Users can define a project based ethogram, which includes a list of observations. Once the ethogram is set, users can conduct coding using pre-assigned keys for state or point events, or both. After the coding process is completed, the program can automatically extract time budget or single or grouped observations and provide a summary of the main behavioural features at a glance. The observation data and time budget analysis can be exported in various common formats such as MSExcel and various graphic formats (BORIS documentation, 2023). From BORIS, the data was extracted to measure the frequency and duration of the codes of various behaviours. All codes were measured in terms of duration, quantified in seconds, and the number of occurrences.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results and Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDistribution of sample as per their Residence, Gender, and Age (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;60)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eItem\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumber\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eResidence\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUrban\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRural\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGender\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBoys\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e57\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGirls\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAge\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e demonstrates the distribution of demographic characteristics among Anganwadi children. Regarding their location, an equal proportion of participants, comprising 50%, hail from urban and rural areas of Telangana state in India respectively. Gender-wise, the participants consist of 57% boys and 43% girls. In terms of age distribution, 43% of the children fall within the 4 year old category, 40% are aged 5 years, and the remaining 17% belong to the 6 year old age group.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBehaviour coding for science experiment 1: Weight\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBehaviour code\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDescription\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObservation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercentage of total length\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAnswering teacher\u0026rsquo;s questions\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs children answer questions raised by the teacher, it indicates that children are attentive and trying to understand the activity. According to Dondu (2020), teachers' formulation of questions fosters inventive responses that unveil children\u0026rsquo;s distinct thoughts and understanding of the concepts.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e78.42\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eChildren using hand gestures\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen children show hand gestures like raising hands, pointing out their finger towards science material, it means they are showing interest in the the activity. Students\u0026rsquo; hand raising in the classroom is among the most notable behaviours, as it signifies their entry point into verbal engagement and collaborative sense-making (Ricardo, 2020).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e51.52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCuriosity\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDuring the experiment, children widening their eyes with surprise, placing their hands on their cheeks, and saying \"wow,\" coming closer to the experiment were recorded as codes for curiosity. Sule and Ipek (2022) found that their intervention enhances curiosity, retention of knowledge, and science test scores among elementary school children, establishing a significant relationship between curiosity and reflective learning.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e72.92\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSmiling\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChildren's facial expressions of smiles indicate their enjoyment of the activity. This was recorded as a point event because it lasts for a fraction of seconds. Dania\u0026rsquo;s research (2012) found that students' natural smiles in the classroom played a pivotal role as an essential nonverbal cue, promoting closer relationships among students and aiding in the collaborative construction of oral activities during group work.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePoint event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35.17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNodding head side to side\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen the teacher asks questions to the children and they respond by nodding their heads from side to side, it indicates that they understood the explanation. This was recorded as a point event because it lasts for a fraction of seconds. Body language and nonverbal cues can spark students' interest in learning and ease the challenges of classroom instructions (Hui, 2016).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePoint event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.67\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eClapping\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChildren clap their hands when they enjoy the activity and it makes fun.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eYuri (2010) found that the applause observed in her data typically originated from the teacher and often occurred at the end of a sequence, serving as positive feedback for students' successful completion of tasks aligned with the teacher's expectations.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.72\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eChildren participation\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis is about how much duration children were involved in the science experiment by using the material and tried on their own. Engaging in hands-on experiments enhances students' learning and nurtures their intrinsic motivation (Evelyn, 2014).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41.43\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eScience terminology\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThroughout the activity, how many times children used science terminology like \"science experiment,\" \"weight,\" \"heavy,\" and \"light\" etc, were recorded. Children develop their vocabulary by engaging in meaningful, two way discussions with teachers of their languages, especially when using uncommon or advanced vocabulary terms (Barbara, 2020).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e42.73\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe ethogram was set with a total number of 8 behaviours for the first experiment. As there was a continuous conversation between teacher and students throughout the activity, 78.42% of the total video length, children were answering teachers\u0026rsquo; questions. The data shows that almost half of the experiment time (51.52%) was spent by children using hand gestures, such as raising hands and pointing their fingers towards science materials. Children displayed curiosity by observing the movement of the pan balance and moving closer to it, which recorded for 72.92% of the total duration.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSmiling, recorded as a point event, occurred 211 times (35.17%), while nodding heads was observed 148 times (24.67%), indicating significant occurrences. Towards the end of the experiment, children clapped their hands, which accounted for 5.72% of the total length. Children's independent involvement in conducting the experiment was recorded at 41.43%, demonstrating their significant engagement. The frequency of children using science terminology indicates their understanding of basic science concepts and vocabulary enhancement, recorded at 42.73%.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBehaviour coding for science experiment 2 and 3: Sound\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBehaviour code\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObservation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eExperiment 2\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercentage of total length\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eExperiment 3\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercentage of total length\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnswering teacher\u0026rsquo;s questions\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41.63\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e51.58\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChildren using hand gestures\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44.42\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49.62\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCuriosity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e63.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e86.15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSmiling\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePoint event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27.67\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26.33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNodding\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePoint event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eClapping\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.48\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.40\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChildren participation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37.23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53.38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eScience terminology\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.53\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.63\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere were two experiments with the objective that children would experience \"sound.\" In the second experiment, when children placed a tuning fork on the surface of a bowl wrapped in foil with thermocol balls on the surface, the balls started jumping due to the sound vibrations produced by the tuning fork. In the third experiment, when the tuning fork was placed on the surface of a bowl of water, water splashed up because of the sound vibrations. It was noticed that children enjoyed these two experiments and experienced the sound.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFor the sound experiments, the ethogram was configured with a total of 8 behaviours. In the second experiment, 41.63% of the total duration was recorded as children answering the teacher\u0026rsquo;s questions, while in the third experiment, this duration was documented as 51.58%. The percentage of children using hand gestures, like pointing out fingers towards the material, was recorded as 44.42% and 49.62% respectively in the second and third experiments. Children displayed curiosity and excitement when the balls started jumping and water splashed out. Some kids screamed with joy and widened their eyes. The level of curiosity was recorded as 63.32% in the second experiment, whereas it was notably higher at 86.15% in the third experiment.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSmiling and nodding of the head were coded as point events, with the total number of occurrences for smiling accounted for as 166 (27.67%) and 158 (26.33%) in the second and third experiments, respectively. Similarly, nodding of the head was recorded as 98 (16.33%) and 69 (11.50%) occurrences in the second and third experiments. Children clapping was recorded as 10.48% in the second experiment and 24.40% in the third experiment. Throughout the duration of the experiment, children participated for 37.23% of the time in the second experiment and 53.38% in the third experiment. Regarding the use of science terminology such as \"science experiment,\" \"sound,\" and \"sound vibration,\" durations of 12.53% and 18.63% were recorded for the second and third experiments, respectively.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBehaviour coding for science experiment 4, 5 and 6: Air\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBehaviour code\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObservation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eExperiment 4\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercentage of total length\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eExperiment 5\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercentage of total length\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eExperiment 6\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercentage of total length\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnswering teacher\u0026rsquo;s questions\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e72.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e72.63\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e74.47\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCuriosity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e81.78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e88.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e91.52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSmiling\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePoint event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.67\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.83\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNodding\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePoint event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eClapping\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.54\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChildren participation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44.53\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e--\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eScience terminology\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.60\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.67\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe fourth experiment explored the concept of \"air occupies space.\" A bowl was filled with water, and a dry cloth was inserted into a glass. When the glass was submerged in water for some time and then removed, the cloth remained dry due to the presence of air. In the fifth experiment, a glass filled with water had a piece of cardboard placed over it, and when the glass was inverted, the water did not spill out due to air pressure. The sixth experiment involved filling a small plate with water and lighting a votive candle. When an empty transparent glass is placed over the votive, the candle goes out, and the water level rises in the glass because of changes in air pressure.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe ethogram was set with 7 behaviour codes for the three air experiments. Children answering teacher\u0026rsquo;s questions were recorded as 72.07% for the fourth experiment, 72.63% for the fifth, and 74.47% for the sixth experiment, respectively. Children exhibited curious behaviour such as moving closer to the experiment area, showing excitement to touch the materials, and displaying interest in participating in the activity. These behaviours were documented as curiosity, and the scores were significantly higher among the three experiments, noted as 81.78%, 88.03%, and 91.52% for the fourth, fifth, and sixth experiments.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe occurrence of smiling as a point event was recorded as 142 (23.67%) for the fourth experiment, 115 (19.17%) for the fifth experiment, and 125 (20.83%) for the sixth experiment. For nodding head side to side, the total number of occurrences was recorded as 110 (18.33%), 78 (13.00%), and 99 (16.50%) for the 4th, 5th, and 6th experiments, respectively. Children clapping hands accounted for 6.54%, 8.87%, and 6.22% in these three experiments. The participation of children was recorded as 44.53% for the fourth experiment and 24.26% for the fifth experiment, while children's participation was not possible for the sixth experiment due to the hazardous nature of the lighting candle. Regarding the use of science terms such as \u0026ldquo;air\u0026rdquo;, \u0026ldquo;air pressure\u0026rdquo;, and \u0026ldquo;science experiment\u0026rdquo;, the duration was recorded as 15.02%, 16.60%, and 15.67% for the fourth, fifth, and sixth experiments, respectively.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab6\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 6\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBehaviour coding for science experiment 7: Light\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBehaviour code\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObservation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercentage of total length\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnswering teacher\u0026rsquo;s questions\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e85.18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSurprise\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26.35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCuriosity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e93.28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSmiling\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePoint event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNodding\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePoint event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.83\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eClapping\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChildren participation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e63.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eScience terminology\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eState event\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.77\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e illustrates the ethogram behaviour coding analysis of the light refraction experiment. In this experiment, picture cards were positioned behind the transparent water glass. As the child stands in front of the glass and looks at the picture through the water glass, he observes that the direction of the picture changes from left to right or right to left due to light refraction.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn this experiment, children answering teacher\u0026rsquo;s questions was recorded at 85.18%, which is a significant portion of the overall duration of the experiment. It was observed that when children noticed the change in the direction of the picture, they exhibited surprised expressions such as widened eyes, a big smile on their faces, and repeatedly trying to look at the pictures. These behaviours were recorded as 26.35%. Children showed curiosity throughout the experiment by raising their hands to participate, expressing interest in seeing more pictures through the glass, etc., which was documented as 93.28%. Point events smiling and nodding occurrences were recorded at 114 (19.00%) and 101 (16.83%) respectively. Children clapping hands was accounted for at 7.12%. Throughout the experiment, children's involvement was noted at 63.25%. Their usage of science terms like science experiment, light, light refraction, and direction of the pictures was recorded at 14.77%.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe exploratory research focused on developing interest in science during early childhood period, with disadvantaged children as the primary beneficiaries. The study involved conducting science experiments for children aged 4 to 6 years and evaluating the program's effectiveness through video analysis.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe main findings can be summarized as follows:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003col\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eChildren Answering Teachers' Questions\u003c/b\u003e: Due to the ongoing dialogue between teachers and students throughout the experiments, over 75% of the total duration was recorded as children answering questions in nearly all the experiments.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eChildren Using Hand Gestures\u003c/b\u003e: A significant percentage of hand gestures, such as raising hands and pointing towards science materials, were observed, and documented.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eCuriosity\u003c/b\u003e: Children exhibited curious expressions ranging from 63\u0026ndash;93% across the seven experiments, indicating a notable level of interest.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eSmiling and Nodding Head\u003c/b\u003e: These behaviours were categorized as point events, and a significant number of occurrences were recorded in all the experiments.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eClapping\u003c/b\u003e: Children clapping hands at the end of the experiments ranged from 6\u0026ndash;24% across the seven experiments.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eChildren Participation\u003c/b\u003e: The data revealed that children had the opportunity to participate in all the experiments for a considerable amount of time. Participation was restricted in the sixth experiment due to safety precautions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eScience Terminology\u003c/b\u003e: In all seven experiments, children used science terms, demonstrating their awareness and understanding of scientific concepts.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/ol\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThus, it can be inferred from above findings that children exhibited interest in learning science experiments. They learned basic science concepts and enhanced their vocabulary. Children not only had hands-on experience but also developed intellectual curiosity and scientific temper. This study also underscored the importance of science during the early childhood period. When underprivileged children are provided with learning opportunities and resources, we can enhance the quality of their education.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eRecommendations\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003col\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe promising results of engaging in science activities during the preschool years are likely to positively impact children's future academic success. Therefore, age-appropriate science experiments and activities should be integrated into the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) curriculum.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eIf teachers have limited scientific knowledge, and lack confidence in their ability to teach science to children, they may struggle to spark interest in science among their students. Therefore, it is crucial to educate and train teachers on effectively introducing science activities to young children.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the future, more research should be conducted on science during early years.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/ol\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003ch2\u003eEthical Approval\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eConsent for the study was attained from all stakeholders, including the Women Development and Child Welfare Department (WDCD), teachers, and parents. All experimental protocols were approved by the university review board and/or licensing ethics committee of Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Hyderabad. Only children whose parents consented to their participation were included in the data collection process, and the consent also covered publishing rights. Informed consent was obtained by teachers and parents, and the authors attest that the participants/parents were aware of the study's purpose, risks, and benefits.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eConflict of interest disclosure\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe entire research work, including data analysis and the research article, was written by the first author, SASL, while the second author, NRR, monitored and supervised the entire process.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAcknowledgement\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAuthors acknowledge Department of Science \u0026amp; Technology, Government of India, for financial support vide reference no. DST/CSRI-PDF/2021/26 under Cognitive Science Research Initiative (CSRI) to carry out this work.Authors acknowledge the host institute Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Hyderabad for support to carry out the research.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eData is provided within the menuscript\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBarbara AW, \u0026amp; Annemarie, HH. Increasing preschoolers\u0026rsquo; vocabulary development through a streamlined teacher professional development intervention. 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DOI:\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1075/prag.20.2.01hos\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1075/prag.20.2.01hos\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Science, experiments, intervention, underprivileged children, early childhood period, behaviour analysis","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4358681/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4358681/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe present study focused on fostering interest in science among underprivileged children belonging to government early childhood education centres in Telangana state, India. The research initiated with the development of seven science experiments, designing science kits for conducting these experiments, and training the teachers on how to conduct the experiments. When teachers conducted the science experiments with children aged 4 to 6 years, videos were carefully recorded. Video analysis was done through the Behavioural Observation Research Interactive Software (BORIS). For each experiment, ethogram was set with different behaviour codes, selected children as focal subjects, and extracted the data from the software. The results revealed that children showed keen interest in learning science experiments. They acquired basic science concepts and improved their vocabulary. Children not only gained hands-on experience but also nurtured intellectual curiosity and a scientific temper. This research also emphasized the significance of introducing science during the early years of childhood.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Emerging Interest in Science during Early Childhood Period and Evaluating its Effectiveness","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-06-13 18:49:40","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4358681/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"4bb9b009-73ed-43e3-bc36-b97ca7a9e796","owner":[],"postedDate":"June 13th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-11-20T06:53:56+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-06-13 18:49:40","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4358681","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4358681","identity":"rs-4358681","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}