Systemizing and empathizing: Research on early years science education and brain types

Seminar with Nina Skorsetz, University of Education Heidelberg, Germany.

Outline: Science for all

An interesting approach for explaining differences in the motivation for science is the Empathizing-Systemizing (E-S)-Theory. It says that every person has a so called “brain type”. People who have the brain type “systemizer” are generally more engaged in science and motivated to do science than people who are stronger in empathizing. But, if we want a “science for all” and not a “swing away from science“ we have to also motivate empathizers for science. How to realize that?

The main goal of the study is to go the first step and find out how pre-school children with different brain types act and react in differently structured learning environments on the same topic. Respectively, we are observing tested children within two different learning environments in order to investigate potentially different behavior.

Three steps organize our approach: In a first step, the brain types of 4 to 6 year old pre-school children were determined using a 55-item EQ-SQ-questionnaire for parents that we translated into German. In terms of a design-based research approach, the tested children then are observed while acting within two different scientific learning environments. In year 2015 we started the first one with a more structured approach, in 2016 the more open one follows. The videotapes are analyzed using a category-based system with focus on the children’s attention.

Research question

Do the empathizing and systemizing children show different behavior concerning their attentiveness in a more structured learning environment?