Preparing children for success: integrating science, math, and technology in early childhood classroom

The purpose of the present study was to study if purposeful math, science, and technology curriculum projects and activities would support Pre-K children's performance in these subject matter areas. In this study, 58 Pre-K children from 4 Pre-K classrooms in a public Pre-K programme in North Carolina participated. Through a quasi-experimental, pre-post intervention design, two experimental classrooms were involved in science curriculum projects that integrated meaningful math and technology content. The curriculum projects revolved around the principles of scientific inquiry process (e.g. engage, investigate, discover, and review). The experimental group classrooms were supported through periodic professional development sessions for teachers and materials to implement more hands-on activities. Results showed that the experimental group children made a significant improvement in their math skills compared to those in the control group. The children's awareness and interest in science-related subjects as well as technology use such as 'Googling' to search or educational software games increased as the study progressed.