A Case Study of Science Instruction on Cooking Hamburgers in Preschools

• Main Authors: Huang Yu-Mei, 黃育美
• Other Authors: Shu fang chen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/n4tt6u

碩士 === 國立臺東大學 === 幼兒教育學系碩士班 === 100 === Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate the acquisition of the scientific concepts of food quality, and the transformation in which they are boiled or mixed with water. The effects of upgrading the preschool children’s interests of scientific exploration, and the abilities in scientific procedures were also examined. The participants in this study were 13 preschool children, aged from 5 to 6 years old, in Kaohsiung public kindergartens. The survey was designed on the model of 5E Learning Circles. During the three and a half month lesson, the project was developed in 21 sessions of activities of cooking hamburgers, in which information picture books and experimental operating were combined. A one-group quasi-experimental research design was employed. The children were assessed by the interviews on “The Scientific Concepts of Cooking” as well as by the observation on “The Children’s Abilities of Scientific Procedure and Scientific Attitude” before and after the project. The data was analyzed by descriptive statistics and t-test. Qualitative resource includes teaching observation, research journal entries, interviews, and children’s portfolios. The survey shows that the children’s prior knowledge on the food quality, nutrition about hamburgers was instable before the study. However, the children developed a positive difference in the concepts of the quality of flour, eggs and cooking oil, the transformation of these food materials with water or being boiled, and the function of yeast in flour. Besides, a positive, significant difference occurred in terms of the ability of scientific procedure and attitude. It suggests that the cooking science project developed under 5E learning circle model plays an important role in the children’s acquisition on the concepts of the food quality and transformation as well as promoting the ability and interest of scientific exploration. The study also indicates that it was favorable for the children to acquire the concepts through the experience of real exploration by doing. However, children’s progression was limited on the concepts about nutrition due to the oral instruction. The distinguished picture books of cooking science help to motivate children to learn, to clarify concepts, and to develop and integrate knowledge.