Promoting Early-Year Children Engagement in Science Learning Using Question and Answer Activities: A Classroom Action Research Susi Hindarti, Urip Sulistiyo, Nazurti, Muhammad Haris Effendi-hasibuan
Graduate School of Universitas Jambi
Abstract
This article talks about the enhancement of early-year children engagement in a science learning in Jambi city Indonesia. A classroom action research design was used to collect data. Some 25 children were involved to learn about science phenomena using Question and Answer (Q&A) activities in three cycles for 60 minutes each. The teacher also used some pictures to attract the children^s attention. The Gutman-style classroom observations and the voice-recorder-assisted classroom conversations were used to collect data. The Gutman data were analyzed to see the frequency of the children^s participation during the lesson while the classroom dialogues were analyzed under a qualitative method. The results showed that the children^s participation from the cycle 1 to cycle 3 increased. The children were getting more focused on listening to the teacher, readier to share stories, and readier to answer and pose questions. This increased engagement made them interested to talk about five simple scientific phenomena. This finding suggested that the use of Q&A activities had been beneficial to actively engaged the students during the lessons and to stimulate those children to express what they knew about simple scientific phenomena.
Keywords: Childhood education, science education, question and answer, classroom action research
