Language activity in science in primary school: what issues and problems for pupils and teachers?

Abstract

This article examines the issues and problems related to the use of the language in science activities in primary school in France. We use four examples of school moments from our previous research in science education to analyse the difficulties encountered by pupils and teachers during language activities in science. We show the ambiguity of certain language tasks as well as the interweaving of scientific and language difficulties. Insufficient consideration of the specific context of each moment and of its cognitive stake can lead to uncertainty in the contract between the pupils and their teacher. The problem lies less in the acquisition of a scientific language than in the acquisition of a scientific use of the language which is distinguished from both other school uses and non-school uses of the language.