Elaboration of subjective theories of pre-school students in the classroom

Abstract

The article reports on a study within another larger-scale project, which aimed at describing and interpreting the elaboration of subjective theories that pre-school students use in the classroom. The study was conducted with students from two state-run schools, one of them located in Coquimbo and the other in La Serena. For the data gathering, observation records were done weekly during regular classes, throughout two consecutive years, period in which the participants did their pre-kindergarten and kindergarten courses respectively. The corpus analysis, made up of the corresponding transcriptions, was completed based on grounded theory, and it was carried out with specific procedures for the identification and analysis of subjective theories. The results allow us to characterize the explanatory nature of the activity in itself and the school environment of the pre-school students. The results also allow us to state some interpretative hypotheses on the role of pre-school teachers in the constructive activity of the pre school children.