Inspiring an Early Passion for Science - The Impact of Hands-on Activities on Children’s Motivation

Oct 15, 2026

This quasi-experimental study examines how hands-on science activities affect preschool children’s motivation for science. The research involved 25 children aged 60–72 months, comparing an experimental group conducting hands-on activities with a control group continuing regular preschool education. Data were collected using the Science Motivation Scale for Preschool Children and analyzed with t-test and nonparametric tests. Results show a significant increase in science motivation for both girls and boys, with no gender differences.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

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Abstract

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Design/Approach/Methods

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Early life continuity and curiosity

Inspiring an Early Passion for Science: The Impact of Hands-on Activities on Children’s Motivation Melek Merve Yilmaz Çukurova University Asli Bekirler Çukurova University Ayperi Dikici Sigirtmac Çukurova University ECNU Review of Education 2024, Vol. 7(4) 1033–1053 © The Author(s) 2024 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/20965311241265413](DOI: 10.1177/20965311241265413)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/20965311241265413)[journals.sagepub.com/home/roe](journals.sagepub.com/home/roe) Abstract Purpose: The aim of this research is to determine the impact of hands-on science activities on preschool children’s motivation for science. Design/Approach/Methods: The study group of the research, in which the quasi-experimental design with pretest–posttest control group was used, consists of 25 children aged 60–72 months who are continuing their preschool education. While the experimental group implemented handson science activities, the control group continued with the regular preschool education program. Science Motivation Scale for Preschool Children was used as a data collection tool. In the analysis of the data, independent samples t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used. Findings: Within the scope of the research, it was concluded that science activities based on hands-on activities were effective in increasing children’s science motivation. In addition, it was observed that science motivation did not differ according to gender, and there was an increase in the science motivation of both girls and boys in the experimental group. Corresponding author: Asli Bekirler, Department of Primary Education Preschool Education Program, Faculty of Education, Çukurova University, 01330 Sarıçam Adana, Turkey. Email: [asli.bekirler@gmail.com](asli.bekirler@gmail.com) Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as speciﬁed on the SAGE and Open Access page ([https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage](https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage)). Originality/Value: The results obtained from the study show that children’s science motivation can be shaped through hands-on activities. Keywords Early childhood, early science, preschool science experiences, science motivation Date received: 9 January 2024; revised: 11 March 2024; accepted: 13 April 2024 Introduction It is known that what is learned and acquired in the ﬁrst 7 years of life maintains its continuity throughout life (Dağlıoğlu, 2015) . Considering that children always discover new information thanks to their sense of curiosity (Jirout & Klahr, 2012; Zimmerman, 2007), it can be said that acquiring basic thinking skills and scientiﬁc skills at early ages is important for later periods of life (Fusaro & Smith, 2018; Hsin & Wu, 2011; Samarapungavan et al., 2008) . In this direction, it is essential to give children opportunities to keep their curiosity alive, establish cause–effect relationships, and make predictions by putting forward various ideas (Uğraş et al., 2013) . Preschool science activities are one of the elements that allow these opportunities to be presented. Preschool science activities support the development of children in many different areas. Science education, which is offered in the early period, helps the child to gain awareness of the facts about the world, experimental criteria, logical thinking, and continuous questioning (Ölçer & Güngör Aytar, 2019) . Thus, science education not only supports children’s cognitive progress, but also enables the devel

FAQs

What is the purpose of this research?

The study aims to determine the impact of hands-on science activities on preschool children’s motivation for science.

How was the study designed and what was the sample?

A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control group design was used with 25 preschool children aged 60–72 months.

What were the main findings about children’s science motivation?

Hands-on science activities were effective in increasing science motivation, and motivation did not differ by gender while increasing in both girls and boys in the experimental group.

Oct 15, 2026

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