“But how does flying work on gravity when you just go up?”: An Investigation of Children’s Science Questions While Reading Life and Physical Science Books in Early Childhood

Abstract

Abstract Children’s question-asking during early childhood plays a central role in cognitive development, reflecting children’s natural curiosity about the world. While research on early science learning has focused on informal contexts (e.g., home) where adults play a key role, less is known about children’s own contributions during these interactions, particularly across different science domains. Our study investigated how children aged 4 to 7 years engage in scientific inquiry by comparing the types of questions children asked while reading a life science book and a physical science book. We recorded 93 mother–child dyads reading two science books from the popular Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out-Science series. Transcribed utterances were coded for five types of science questions. Repeated-measures ANOVAs revealed that children asked more science-related questions during the physical science book than the life science book, with explanation- and fact-seeking questions being the most prevalent within both books. Science question-asking increased from ages four to five but stabilized around age six. No average gender differences in question-asking were observed. Bivariate correlations showed that children’s science questions correlated positively with time spent reading and parents’ overall science talk across both books. These findings challenge assumptions that young children are developmentally unready or uninterested in science—especially physical science. By centering on children’s questions, our study highlights everyday experiences, such as shared book reading, can serve as contexts that support children’s engagement in scientific inquiry during early childhood.