Developing scientific literacy in early years: a narrative review of the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia

The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (EYLF) guides educators and preschools or early years learning centres in fostering children’s holistic learning and development in the early years. While several studies have discussed a vast range of areas focusing on the EYLF, understanding how this framework addresses the development of children’s scientific literacy in the early years is still a knowledge gap. Scientific literacy can be addressed in both direct (explicit) and indirect (implicit) ways, concentrating on the core concept of science literacy and the long-term effects and benefits of this literacy, respectively. Using the narrative review procedure, this article examines how children’s scientific literacy development in the early years can be linked with the EYLF. The findings reveal little focus on addressing the core concepts (explicit meaning) of scientific literacy in the EYLF; however, the framework guides educators significantly in fostering the long-term impacts and benefits (implicit meaning) of scientific literacy.