Abstract

In the past three decades, science education has received increased attention at all level of schooling and continues to be a major concern at the present time. In the past, the new curriculum models for science at the elementary and secondary level proliferated, and although many of the models shared some element in common, they differed by placing an emphasis on either content, process, discovery learning or problem solving as the central focus of the curriculum. As the concern for improved science education was "thrust downwards", science educators were, and are, faced with similar decisions regarding science education in the early years; i.e. primary science. Although the process of scientific inquiry was frequently cited as a goal of science activities by some primary educators, the prime emphasis appeared to be on the acquisition of scientific concepts or content. This situation should be revamped because primary science is not just a matter of knowing about the world, but there is equally emphatic goal of helping children to behave as scientists. Therefore, this paper attempts to establish an overview of why scientific process skills should be emphasized at primary level. In achieving this aim, the value of teaching science and why it should be thought at primary level will be reviewed and the nature of children's idea will be explored.

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