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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Designing and Implementing Nervous System Simulations on LEGO Robots

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Published on: May 25, 2013

Scientific agency in preschool STEM: a play-based developmental model.

Ahmet Sami Konca¹, Hüseyin Ateş²

¹Department of Learning and Educational Leadership, College of Education, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.

Frontiers in Psychology

|July 13, 2026

Summary

This study introduces a model for scientific agency in early childhood STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). It explains how playful exploration fosters child-led scientific inquiry and investigation.

Keywords:

classroom emotional climate early childhood education embodied cognition epistemic curiosity play-based inquiry preschool STEM scientific agency teacher mediation

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Last Updated: Jul 15, 2026

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Area of Science:

Early Childhood Education
Science Education
Developmental Psychology

Background:

Current early childhood STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) approaches often focus on future outcomes or activities, not fully explaining the transition from play to child-authored inquiry.
Existing research documents STEM exposure and engagement but lacks specificity on how hands-on experiences become genuine epistemic participation.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a conceptual framework, the Play-Based STEM Agency Model, detailing scientific agency in preschool STEM.
To bridge the gap between activity-centered/outcome-oriented accounts and the process of young children developing scientific inquiry skills.

Main Methods:

The Play-Based STEM Agency Model is a theoretically derived framework, not from a single empirical study.
It synthesizes theories from early childhood pedagogy, constructivist and sociocultural learning, curiosity research, embodied cognition, and science education inquiry practices.

Main Results:

The model proposes a recursive pathway: play-based STEM inquiry creates uncertainty, which sparks curiosity.
Embodied investigation allows testing ideas through action and feedback, leading to meaning-making, comparison, representation, explanation, and revision.
Scientific agency develops when children's contributions direct inquiry and are acknowledged by peers and teachers.

Conclusions:

The Play-Based STEM Agency Model offers a nuanced understanding of scientific agency in early childhood STEM.
It provides testable hypotheses and process-sensitive indicators for research, teacher education, and assessment in preschool STEM education.