2026-05-18 ノースカロライナ州立大学（NCState）
＜関連情報＞
- https://news.ncsu.edu/2026/05/teaching-preschoolers-with-food/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1499404626000977
もっとエンドウ豆を！食を通して学ぶことで、未就学児の科学知識と言語発達を促進しますMore PEAS Please! Improves Preschool Children’s Science Knowledge and Language Development Through Food-Based Learning
Virginia C. Stage PhD, RDN, Jocelyn B. Dixon MS, MPH, RDN, LDN, Ryan Lundquist BS, Qiang Wu PhD, PStat, Tammy D Lee PhD, Archana V. Hegde PhD, BK, Pauline Grist PhD, Savannah Baldwin BA, Ashleigh Schmitt BS, L. Suzanne Goodell PhD, RDN
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Available online: 16 May 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2026.04.004
Abstract
Objective
To examine the efficacy and fidelity of More PEAS Please!, a food-based learning intervention, on children’s (aged 3–5 years) science knowledge and language development.
Design
Quasi-experimental (2-group) design with child-level assessments at baseline, preintervention, and postintervention. Intervention teachers participated in semistructured interviews to contextualize child outcomes.
Setting
Seven Head Start centers across 3 counties in North Carolina.
Participants
Two hundred and seventy-two children (n = 125 intervention; n = 147 comparison) and 19 intervention teachers.
Intervention
Intervention classrooms received More PEAS Please!; comparison classrooms received the standard science curriculum.
Phenomenon of Interest and Variables
Science knowledge, language development, anthropometrics, and program fidelity; teacher perceptions of implementation and child learning.
Analysis
Linear mixed models examined group-by-time effects, adjusting for age, sex, body mass index percentiles, race/ethnicity, and developmental concerns; center was treated as a random effect. Qualitative data were analyzed using a phenomenological approach.
Results
Children in the intervention group showed greater gains in science knowledge and language (P < 0.05) compared with the comparison group. Implementation was achieved with high fidelity. Teachers described improved comprehension, diverse learning needs, and program supports contributing to implementation and sustainability.
Conclusions and Implications
The intervention was implemented with high fidelity and improved early learning outcomes among children from families with limited resources.
