Integration of the Sciences

Abstract

T here appears to be an ever-increasing interest in integrated science courses for all levels of instruction, from the primary grades to the lower-division years of university education and beyond. Some evidence of this interest is found in the time allotted to discussions and papers on this subject at professional meetings and conferences. In addition, a number of conferences have been devoted to discussion of the feasibility of such courses, their rationales, course development in progress, and evaluation studies. One of these conferences, which I attended, was sponsored by the International Union of Scientists and held at Varna, Bulgaria, in September 1968. Showalter and Thomson (1968) listed 22 projects active in the United States; their course sequences showed considerable variation in scope, content, and rationale. Several attempted the integration of science courses in Grades K through 12; others encompassed only the junior high grades; and still others attempted to unify two or more high school subjects. Similar developments are under way in Britain and Australia. All this provides rather good evidence, I believe, of the ferment present in the design of science curricula today. It seems that integrated science course development is attracting substantial interest in many places, both within and outside of the United States.