STEM misconceptions among preschool children and teacher scaffolding in Vietnam: A classroom-based qualitative analysis

Manh-Tuan Nguyen; Huyen-Anh Mai; Doan Phuong Lam Khuat; Lien Kim Thi Tran; Thi-Huyen Nong; Manh-Tuan Nguyen; Huyen-Anh Mai; Doan Phuong Lam Khuat; Lien Kim Thi Tran; Thi-Huyen Nong

doi:10.3934/steme.2026029

STEM Education

2026, Volume 6, Issue 4: 716-743. doi: 10.3934/steme.2026029

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STEM misconceptions among preschool children and teacher scaffolding in Vietnam: A classroom-based qualitative analysis

1.
School of Child Development Sciences, Hanoi National University of Education, Hanoi, Vietnam; nguyenmanhtuan@hnue.edu.vn, anhmh@hnue.edu.vn, lamkdp@hnue.edu.vn, kimlien@hnue.edu.vn
2.
Tan Trao University, Tuyen Quang Province, Vietnam; nonghuyencdtq@gmail.com

Academic Editor: Feng-Kuang Chiang

Received: 11 December 2025 Revised: 29 June 2026 Accepted: 01 July 2026 Published: 08 July 2026

In this study, we examined STEM-related misconceptions among preschool children and how teachers scaffold these during classroom activities in Vietnamese early childhood settings. Forty-two narrative reports written by in-service teachers after STEM lessons with children aged 3–6 were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Line-by-line coding generated 132 misconception codes and 103 scaffolding codes, which were organized into nine themes. Our findings indicated four major clusters of misconceptions: rule-based perceptual reasoning, misunderstandings of invisible mechanisms, overgeneralization of everyday experience, and strong emotional reactions when outcomes contradict predictions. Teachers mainly responded through procedural guidance, with inquiry-oriented prompts used only sporadically and emotional reassurance prioritized when children showed frustration or fear, leading to frequent missed opportunities to address misconceptions explicitly. We identified key pedagogical challenges in the early implementation of STEM education in Vietnam, notably an emphasis on product completion and emotional comfort over conceptual understanding. This advocates for STEM-focused teacher education that enables practitioners to elicit children's ideas, balance emotional support with cognitive challenge, and design classroom tasks that prioritize inquiry and conceptual reasoning over the production of neat final products.
- STEM education,
- misconceptions,
- teacher scaffolding,
- early childhood education,
- qualitative thematic analysis,
- Vietnam
Citation: Manh-Tuan Nguyen, Huyen-Anh Mai, Doan Phuong Lam Khuat, Lien Kim Thi Tran, Thi-Huyen Nong. STEM misconceptions among preschool children and teacher scaffolding in Vietnam: A classroom-based qualitative analysis[J]. STEM Education, 2026, 6(4): 716-743. doi: 10.3934/steme.2026029

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Abstract

In this study, we examined STEM-related misconceptions among preschool children and how teachers scaffold these during classroom activities in Vietnamese early childhood settings. Forty-two narrative reports written by in-service teachers after STEM lessons with children aged 3–6 were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Line-by-line coding generated 132 misconception codes and 103 scaffolding codes, which were organized into nine themes. Our findings indicated four major clusters of misconceptions: rule-based perceptual reasoning, misunderstandings of invisible mechanisms, overgeneralization of everyday experience, and strong emotional reactions when outcomes contradict predictions. Teachers mainly responded through procedural guidance, with inquiry-oriented prompts used only sporadically and emotional reassurance prioritized when children showed frustration or fear, leading to frequent missed opportunities to address misconceptions explicitly. We identified key pedagogical challenges in the early implementation of STEM education in Vietnam, notably an emphasis on product completion and emotional comfort over conceptual understanding. This advocates for STEM-focused teacher education that enables practitioners to elicit children's ideas, balance emotional support with cognitive challenge, and design classroom tasks that prioritize inquiry and conceptual reasoning over the production of neat final products.

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Author's biography Manh-Tuan Nguyen, Ph.D. in Mathematics Education, is a lecturer at Hanoi National University of Education, where he serves as Head of the Department of Early Childhood Intelligence Education. His primary research interests include mathematics education, STEM education, higher education, educational management, early childhood education, and educational assessment. Dr. Nguyen has been actively involved in numerous national research projects on educational reform in Vietnam; Huyen-Anh Mai, a Master's in Early Childhood Education, is a lecturer at Hanoi National University of Education. Her research interests include mathematics, STEM education, and Experience-based Learning in the early years; Doan Phuong Lam Khuat, a master's degree holder in Early Childhood Education, is an early childhood education specialist whose research focuses on child development, integrated approaches in preschool education, and the applications of artificial intelligence in early childhood education; Lien Kim Thi Tran, a PhD in Early Childhood Education, has participated in numerous Ministry-level early childhood education projects in Vietnam. Her research focuses on early childhood pedagogy and children's adaptation during transitions from nursery to kindergarten and from kindergarten to primary school; Thi-Huyen Nong is a graduate student in Early Childhood Education and a lecturer at Tan Trao University. Her research interests focus on Mathematics, STEM education, and Experience-based Learning in early childhood

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