Children’s knowledge can be developed in a specific concept, as supported by Harlen, W, 2000 when they he discusses that testing out for themselves is a direct way for children to know that something exists and happens. Children will find out the reasoning for certain scientific ideas, this will contribute to their learning in science by giving them the knowledge of science and be able to apply this knowledge in future learning of different concepts and be able to understand these more with this previous knowledge, as stated by Goldsworthy, A & Feasley, R, 1997 pg 77; ‘investigations provide pupils with an opportunity to use the knowledge and understanding developed in a particular topic.’ So they can use previous knowledge to develop a hypothesis on something new. The only problem with this is that they might think they know what is going to happen and might assume too much without looking at what really happened. Investigation helps children gain knowledge in the processes of linking ideas to evidence, Hollins, M, & Whitby, V, 2001 pg 11 believe that ‘ideas are generated so that investigations can gather evidence to test and develop them.’ Smith, R & Peacock, G also believe investigation to be along these lines, they believe that investigation answers a specific question and this is turned into a test which is carried out. Once children have gathered evidence and carried out tests to support a claim they have they can use this knowledge and evidence next time they come across this concept in science.
Science investigations can also contribute to pupils’ learning by helping the teacher find out what children’s ideas and concepts are and assess these and then planning can focus on any area of difficulty or area of interest and the teacher can develop their ideas which in turn will develop their learning in the wider science curriculum because they will be learning in a way that suits them, this is supported by Goldsworthy, A & Feasley, R, 1997 because they believe that investigations may highlight any weaknesses in understanding.
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