Exploring pre-kindergarten children’s science identity through their science fair participation

Young children often encounter science through playful explorations rather than formal instruction, yet little is known about how they express emerging science identity in such context. This qualitative case study examines how five-year-old children described their experiences following an interactive science fair. A total of 30 children attended the fair, and 22 voluntarily participated in post-fair interviews and drawing activities one week later. Carlone, H. B., and A. Johnson. 2007. “Understanding the Science Experiences of Successful Women of Color: Science Identity as an Analytic Lens.” Journal of Research in Science Teaching 44 (8): 1187–1218 dimensions of competence, performance, and recognition were used as an interpretive lens rather than as direct measures of identity. Constant comparative analysis resulted in two categories: interest in science and science engagement and enthusiasm. Findings revealed that children recalled memorable experiments and scientific terms, described active participation and feeling ‘like a scientist’, and expressed interest in further experimentation and science-related aspirations. These findings suggest that interactive science experiences can provide contexts in which expressions related to emerging science identity become visible, without demonstrating change in science identity over time.