Scientific literacy series — Chapter 4: How can policies and frameworks support children’s scientific literacy development?

In this series, I am writing about why children’s scientific literacy is important for their holistic development. Children’s scientific literacy is an important developmental domain that is increasingly recognised as a foundational capability for lifelong learning and overall higher mental development.

This development of scientific literacy does not focus solely on gaining scientific knowledge; it also emphasises higher skills, such as problem-solving, inquiry, and curiosity. Beises, this development supports children’s understanding of the natural and complex world.

I have previously discussed how theories can support this development; however, it is also important to understand how state policies and frameworks could support children’s development by sharing educators’ practices, learning environments, and curriculum priorities.

To discuss this, I will focus on a specific document: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. I will discuss how this framework provides strong guidance to educators by embedding inquiry, exploration, sustainability, and critical thinking processes altogether, which is important for understanding scientific literacy development in the early years holistically, not as a discrete process.

Why is a policy document or framework important for fostering children’s scientific literacy?

First of all, educational policies or frameworks are based on a national vision for children’s learning and development. Policy documents or frameworks also ensure that specific components, such as play, intentionality, understanding of science concepts, and so on, are particularly important for expanding children’s inquiry-based learning, experimentation, and problem-solving capacities.

These are also essential for early childhood pedagogy, and we know that young children explore their worlds through play and observation, by solving problems and asking questions, and through their experimentation. Together, they build their capacity for scientific thinking. Policy guidelines can support audits; for instance, parents or educators can focus on how their children are growing up and how these skills are aligned.

Secondly, a policy or framework provides a consistent approach to learning and development across settings and backgrounds, so that children can access rich scientific learning opportunities. These documents also support educators in effectively supporting children in developmentally appropriate ways.

Thirdly, a policy guideline or framework helps educators set their professional activities and judgments. These documents also enable educators to make an intentional plan for scientific learning based on children’s interests, cultural context, and local requirements and environments. These guidelines also support children and educators by providing flexibility for embedding this development through everyday play-based experiences and for ensuring the sustainability of learning.

Finally, children’s learning and development should be holistic. A policy document can outline the principles and practices that embed all the components of language, science, mathematics, well-being, and social issues. Integrating several aspects into a single document can provide educators with specific instructions on how to foster children’s confidence, curiosity, and critical thinking.

Overall, we intend to prepare children for the future as informed citizens, but these practices should begin in the early years. A policy document or framework can outline the necessary directions and instructions that could be useful not only for educators but also for parents.

In this article, to provide specific examples, I will rely on the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

What do we know from the vision of EYLF?

The vision of EYLF, Belonging, Being and Becoming, provides a conceptual foundation for scientific literacy, in which children’s sense of belonging is embedded in family, community and country. Therefore, this essence highlights the importance of developing children’s scientific literacy that aligns with their society. On the other hand, the EYLF emphasises building children’s confidence and helping them become successful lifelong learners. One of the purposes of scientific literacy is to develop children’s skills that are effective in the long run.

Play‑based learning and intentional teaching

One of the core focuses of EYLF is play-based learning and intentionality. Through context-based play, children can develop several interrelated skills, such as understanding cause and effect. The EYLF provides some examples of how to do it. For instance, this framework shows that, through a water-flow play experiment, children can explore gravity, volume, and speed. The document also encourages hypothesis testing and problem-solving play experiences, which could support their scientific literacy development.

On the other hand, educators are guided to arrange play activities intentionally by modelling scientific language, asking open-ended questions, and documenting children’s thinking.

These examples illustrate how a framework can guide educators in developing children’s science play experiences that support their scientific literacy development.

Learning environments promoting scientific literacy

This framework also highlights the importance of the play environment, explicitly discussing the value of indoor and outdoor play for exploration and discovery. They also state that outdoor environments are significant for developing scientific thinking, offering opportunities to observe living systems, patterns, and physical processes. For instance, the EYLF specifically mentioned the following.

• Using natural materials such as rocks, water, plants and soil;
• Providing opportunities for risk play and problem‑solving; and
• Allowing children access to tools and technologies for investigation and documentation.

The EYLF also mentions that outdoor learning supports children in fostering exploration, hypothesis testing, and sustaining the inquiry process. These are directly related to their early scientific literacy development.

Scientific literacy regarding the EYLF learning outcomes

I am providing one brief example of how the EYLF learning outcome addresses children’s scientific literacy development.

Learning outcome 4 explicitly supports scientific literacy by fostering several scientific processes, such as inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, research, and investigation. For instance, when children make predictions and test theories, or use trial and error to explore cause and effect, or reflect on why things happen and what can be learned, these processes could support their scientific literacy development.

Educators are also encouraged to scaffold children’s investigations and to support them in revisiting and refining ideas over time.

I have provided some brief discussions and examples of how EYLF could support children’s scientific literacy in the early years. In line with this, I need to say that policies and frameworks play a vital role in supporting children’s scientific literacy by embedding inquiry, exploration, and critical thinking throughout early learning. A policy document could also ensure the development process through an integrated, holistic approach that draws on the concepts of science, play experiences, and intentionality. By guiding educators, a policy document or framework could contribute to the development of children’s complex understanding, such as scientific literacy.