NATURAL SCIENCES AND CHILDREN'S LITERATURE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21814/childstudies.6359

Keywords:

abordagem articulada, ciências da natureza, conhecimento do mundo, expressão e comunicação, literatura para a infância

Abstract

This study is part of a research project that aims to promote the articulation between natural sciences and children’s literature in pre-school education to improve the educational practices of pre-school educators and provide solid contributions to an integrated practice. The following question was therefore formulated: “How can we promote an articulated approach to natural sciences and children's literature in pre-school education through works of fiction?” Thus, the research we intend to carry out will take place in four distinct stages: 1) Characterizing educational practices; 2) Selecting literary works for children that can be articulated with natural sciences. 3) Analyzing the literary and scientific criteria of these works; 4) Exploring their application in pre-school. The results are expected to include the identification of gaps in the articulation between natural sciences and literature and the selection of quality literary books for natural sciences in pre-school.

Author Biographies

  • Cristina Vilaça da Costa, CIEC | Institute of Education | University of Minho

    Cristina Costa is a PhD candidate in Child Studies (University of Minho), specializing in Childhood, Development, and Learning. She holds a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education and Primary Education (2023) and a Bachelor's degree in Basic Education (2020) from the same institution, where she was awarded the UMinho Excellence Award. With a diverse professional background spanning public and private educational contexts (non-profits and study centers), she currently works as a Primary School Teacher. During her academic journey, she was a member of the Pedagogical Council of UMinho's Institute of Education and has actively engaged in organizing workshops, seminars, and training activities in the fields of children's literature and education.

  • Paulo Varela, CIEC | Institute of Education | University of Minho

    Paulo Varela is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Education of the University of Minho (UMinho) and an integrated researcher at the Centre for Research in Child Studies (CIEC-UMinho). He holds a PhD in Child Studies (specializing in Environmental Studies) and a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Natural Sciences Teaching. His research, teaching, and supervision focus on teacher training and inquiry-based science education in Early Childhood and Primary Education, with several publications in these fields. He has participated in European projects (such as Creative Little Scientists) as well as international cooperation and curriculum reform projects in Guinea-Bissau and Angola. Since 2014, he has served as the Director of the Bachelor's Degree in Basic Education at UMinho.

  • Sara Reis da Silva, CIEC | Institute of Education | University of Minho

    Sara Reis da Silva is an Associate Professor with Habilitation (Professora Auxiliar com Agregação) at the Institute of Education of the University of Minho and a researcher at the Centre for Research in Child Studies (CIEC). She holds a PhD in Children's Literature (UMinho) and completed postdoctoral research at the University of Santiago de Compostela. Her teaching and research focus on literary studies, Children's and Young Adult Literature, Literary Education, Didactics, and Reading Mediation. She directs the Centre for Resources in Native Language and Children's Literature at UMinho and is a member of several national and international research networks (such as RED LIJMI and the Reading Observatory - IBBY Portugal). She has also participated in educational cooperation projects in East Timor and Guinea-Bissau. Her extensive academic portfolio includes numerous publications, supervision of doctoral and postdoctoral research, participation in over a hundred academic examination boards, and the authorship/co-edition of several benchmark books in Children's and Young Adult Literature.

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Published

31-07-2026

Issue

No. 9 (2026)

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Cristina Vilaça da Costa, Paulo Varela, Sara Reis da Silva

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

NATURAL SCIENCES AND CHILDREN’S LITERATURE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION. (2026). Child Studies, 9, 53-64. https://doi.org/10.21814/childstudies.6359

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