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%.