Influence of Previous Knowledge, Language Skills and Domain-specific Interest on Observation Competency |
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| Authors: | Lucia Kohlhauf Ulrike Rutke and Birgit Neuhaus |
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| Institution: | (1) Institute for Biology Education, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Winzererstrasse 45/II, 80797 Munich, Germany |
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| Abstract: | Many epoch-making biological discoveries (e.g. Darwinian Theory) were based upon observations. Nevertheless, observation is
often regarded as ‘just looking’ rather than a basic scientific skill. As observation is one of the main research methods
in biological sciences, it must be considered as an independent research method and systematic practice of this method is
necessary. Because observation skills form the basis of further scientific methods (e.g. experiments or comparisons) and children
from the age of 4 years are able to independently generate questions and hypotheses, it seems possible to foster observation
competency at a preschool level. To be able to provide development-adequate individual fostering of this competency, it is
first necessary to assess each child’s competency. Therefore, drawing on the recent literature, we developed in this study
a competency model that was empirically evaluated within learners (N = 110) from different age groups, from kindergarten to university. In addition, we collected data on language skills, domain-specific
interest and previous knowledge to analyse coherence between these skills and observation competency. The study showed as
expected that previous knowledge had a high impact on observation competency, whereas the influence of domain-specific interest
was nonexistent. Language skills were shown to have a weak influence. By utilising the empirically validated model consisting
of three dimensions (‘Describing’, ‘Scientific reasoning’ and ‘Interpreting’) and three skill levels, it was possible to assess
each child’s competency level and to develop and evaluate guided play activities to individually foster a child’s observation
competency. |
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