Science education occupies an important place in the curriculum of Australian schools. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the science education received by students at the upper primary (10- year-old) and lower secondary (14-year-old) levels. The early chapters set out differences across the Australian states, and for male and female students, in terms of: the home background and ethnic background of the students; students' attitudes to school, to the science studied at school, and to the role of science in the wider society; the science curriculum; characteristics of science lessons; students' achievement in science. In later chapters, the authors examine reasons for difference in science achievement between students and between states. Finally, there is a comparison of the science achievement of Australian students with that of students in other countries. It also indicates the relative decline in science achievement in Australia since an earlier study in 1970.

This book highlights recent developments in literacy research in science teaching and learning from countries such as Australia, Brazil, China, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United States. It includes multiple topics and perspectives on the role of literacy in enhancing science teaching and learning, such as the struggles faced by students in science literacy learning, case studies and evaluations of classroom-based interventions, and the challenges encountered in the science classrooms. It offers a critical and comprehensive investigation on numerous emerging themes in the area of literacy and science education, including disciplinary literacy, scientific literacy, classroom discourse, multimodality, language and representations of science, and content and language integrated learning (CLIL). The diversity of views and research contexts in this volume presents a useful introductory handbook for academics, researchers, and graduate students working in this specialized niche area. With a wealth of instructional ideas and innovations, it is also highly relevant for teachers and teacher educators seeking to improve science teaching and learning through the use of literacy.

The author describes the dimensions of the current crisis in science education, arguing that this has arisen because school science has failed to adequately respond to the changing needs of students, or the changing nature of science and the world it serves. He charts student concerns with classroom science content and pedagogy, arguing that the way forward involves broadening the purposes of school science and expanding the voices speaking to the curriculum. New and broader approaches to teaching and learning are advocated, and perspectives and knowledge required by teachers are discussed. Some models of pre-service science teacher education and school-based professional learning are proposed. [Back cover, ed].

Scientific literacy is generally valued and acknowledged among educators as a desirable student learning outcome. However, what scientific literacy really means in terms of classroom practice and student learning is debatable due to the inherent complexity of the term and varying expectations of what it means for learning outcomes. To date the teacher voice has been noticeably absent from this debate even though the very nature of teacher expertise lies at the heart of the processes which shape students’ scientific literacy. The chapters that comprise this book tap into the expertise of a group of primary teachers from Our Lady of Good Counsel (OLGC), a primary school that chose to actively engage in teaching for scientific literacy. By analyzing the insights and thinking that emerged as they attempted to unravel some of the pedagogical complexities associated with constructing an understanding of scientific literacy in their own classrooms, these teachers demonstrate the professional knowledge and skill inherent in the expertise of teaching and learning science in a primary classroom. The chapters in this book illustrate the processes and structures that were created at OGLC to provide the conditions that allowed these teachers to explore and build on the range of ideas that informed their approach to teaching for scientific literacy. This book is a compelling example of how a whole school approach to scientific literacy can make a difference for students’ learning of science and offer a concrete example of the development of professional knowledge and practice of teachers.

This thesis examines the reasons for the decline in the status of Australian chemistry.There is considerable qualitative and quantative data to suggest that chemistry in Australia is in a state of decline. This trend has been in evidence for the last fifteen years and is most evident from a progressive decline in demand for tertiary courses in Australian universities.

In this ground-breaking book science education is explored as a learning continuum across all years of schooling from Foundation to Year 12. The expert authors, members of Monash University's Science Education Research Group, seek to build pedagogical and content expertise by providing both a level of support and challenge for all teachers based on current research and best practice. The text considers key issues including: what the learner brings to the science classroom; what primary and secondary teachers can learn from each other; the constructivist perspective and its value in learning science; context-based science education; the structure of the Australian curriculum and science education policy; teacher identity; the nature of scientific knowledge; principles of assessment and understanding the role of ICT in science teaching and learning. Featuring case studies and practical examples in each chapter, this book provides pre-service teachers with the understanding and tools to ensure their students are engaged and inspired in science education throughout their school years.

Science is a way of knowing about the world. At once a process, a product, and an institution, science enables people to both engage in the construction of new knowledge as well as use information to achieve desired ends. Access to scienceâ€"whether using knowledge or creating itâ€"necessitates some level of familiarity with the enterprise and practice of science: we refer to this as science literacy. Science literacy is desirable not only for individuals, but also for the health and well- being of communities and society. More than just basic knowledge of science facts, contemporary definitions of science literacy have expanded to include understandings of scientific processes and practices, familiarity with how science and scientists work, a capacity to weigh and evaluate the products of science, and an ability to engage in civic decisions about the value of science. Although science literacy has traditionally been seen as the responsibility of individuals, individuals are nested within communities that are nested within societiesâ€"and, as a result, individual science literacy is limited or enhanced by the circumstances of that nesting. Science Literacy studies the role of science literacy in public support of science. This report synthesizes the available research literature on science literacy, makes recommendations on the need to improve the understanding of science and scientific research in the United States, and considers the relationship between scientific literacy and support for and use of science and research.

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) compared the performance of Australian 15-year-olds with the performance of 15 year-olds in 31 other countries, including USA, Canada, UK, many European nations, Japan, Korea and Russia in 2000. This book provides the findings of this survey, which show outstanding results.