Gender differences in early childhood natural phenomena recognition: Evidence from Kindergarten Children in Indonesia

The ability to recognize natural phenomena is a fundamental component of early childhood cognitive development because it supports children’s scientific thinking through observation, simple reasoning, and environmental exploration. Despite classroom observations suggesting that girls may perform better than boys in science-related activities, empirical evidence regarding gender differences in recognizing natural phenomena remains inconclusive. Therefore, this study aimed to determine whether significant differences exist between boys and girls in their ability to recognize natural phenomena at TK Negeri Kemuning Duhiadaa. This study employed a quantitative experimental approach using a 2 × 2 factorial design. The participants consisted of 44 children aged 5–6 years, including 22 boys and 22 girls, selected through total sampling. Children’s ability to recognize natural phenomena was assessed using curriculum-based indicators, and the data were analyzed using two-way analysis of variance at a significance level of 0.05. The results revealed that girls obtained a slightly higher mean score (44.50) than boys (42.77). However, the analysis of variance indicated that the difference was not statistically significant (F = 1.7107 < F = 4.08). These findings suggest that boys and girls demonstrate comparable competencies in recognizing changes in shape, color, and odor, identifying simple cause-and-effect relationships, communicating observational findings, and exhibiting scientific attitudes. The results further indicate that gender alone is not a significant determinant of children’s ability to recognize natural phenomena, and that equitable learning opportunities and supportive instructional environments are more influential in fostering early scientific competence. In conclusion, this study provides empirical evidence that gender does not significantly affect young children’s ability to recognize natural phenomena. The findings contribute to early childhood science education by supporting inclusive instructional practices that provide equal opportunities for scientific exploration and cognitive development regardless of gender.