The 2024-25 GYA Sasha Kagansky Interdisciplinary Grant project “Scientific Thinking in Pre-Schoolers: A Regional Challenge”, led by Alexia Nunez-Parra (Universidad de Chile), Nadia De León Sautú, (Institute of Scientific Research and High Technology Services, Panama), Alma Cristal Hernández Mondragón (National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico) and Lorena Michelle Coronado Vásquez (Institute of Scientific Research and High Technology Services, Panama), has come to a close with a final report.
Below is a summary of the final report, and outcomes achieved.
“The interdisciplinary nature of the team (spanning neuroscience, psychology, education, child development, and science–policy studies) deeply shaped both the process and outcomes of this project. Rather than functioning as parallel contributions, these disciplinary perspectives interacted continuously and often revealed complexities that none of us would have anticipated alone.” – 2024/25 Grant Project Team
Summary
The project explored how scientific thinking begins to emerge in preschool-aged children in three Latin American countries: Chile, Mexico and Panama. The team adapted and piloted a Scientific Thinking Inventory tailored to young children, together with a simple behavioural curiosity game. Around 60 children in each country participated, in collaboration with local schools and educators.
The inventory assess three core dimensions of early scientific thinking: experimentation, data interpretation and basic scientific understanding, using short, illustrated tasks. The curiosity game provided a complementary window into children’s exploratory behaviour and decision-making. In this game children explored five water tanks, collected fish, and decided whether to exchange them for the contents of a secret chest.
Preliminary analyses suggest that many children are able to meaningfully engage with tasks that require basic forms of experimentation and causal reasoning, although performance varies across dimensions and items. At the same time, the pilot revealed important methodological lessons: some items were less reliable or were interpreted differently than expected, especially in the data-interpretation component. These insights are now guiding a careful revision of wording, images and response formats.
The project faced typical cross-country challenges, including differing school logistics and, in some cases, complex authorization processes with educational authorities. Yet it also generated strong interest among teachers and families, with some parents expressing a desire for follow-up. Building on this interdisciplinary collaboration, the team now aims to refine the instrument, explore digital formats and seek additional funding and partners for future and possibly longitudinal studies.
Outcomes
Policy outcome: The project captured the attention of the Ministry of Education in Panama, and the project team is working to support further science education initiatives in this context.
Follow-up actions: The team aims to transform this pilot into a long-term regional initiative and is seeking partnerships to secure additional funding. Preparation of a manuscript, policy briefs and the design of a longitudinal study are potential future outputs of this GYA pilot project.
About the GYA Sasha Kagansky Interdisciplinary Grant
The GYA includes a diverse membership of scientists and scholars, in many disciplines, based in low/middle-income countries and high-income countries. This grant scheme was initiated in 2014, aiming to foster collaboration across the lines that often separate researchers and limit possibilities. The scheme facilitates the development of small-scale, innovative, curiosity-driven, blue-sky, exploratory research pilots or prototypes that unite researchers in low and middle-income countries and high-income countries and cross disciplinary boundaries. The Sasha Kagansky Interdisciplinary Grant, awarded annually, was re-named in 2021 in honor of late GYA member Alexander (Sasha) Kagansky.
Find more information on all current and past grant projects here: Sasha Kagansky Interdisciplinary Grant Archives – Global Young Academy