Opportunities and Challenges for Science Education in Asia: Perspectives Based on the Taiwan Experience

Abstract

Although the opportunities and challenges facing each country may differ regarding science education research and practice, there are certainly commonalities, shared interests, and so on that suggest it would be of mutual benefit for different countries to exchange and share their experiences. Toward this end, a recently published book edited by Chiu (2015a, b) not only reports the successes and achievements, but also examines and articulates the existing and emerging opportunities and challenges for science education in Taiwan. While each chapter of the edited volume presents the progress of science education in Taiwan from a different perspective, a closer examination and reflection of these collective efforts and activities point to the emergence of a set of experiences that worthwhile to share with science education scholars, researchers, and policymakers from other Asian countries and the rest of the world. Based on the “Taiwan Experience,” it appears that in spite of the complexity of the political and socioeconomic backdrop in Asia, promising opportunities exist at the individual, regional, and global levels for science educators to improve the quality of science education research, to increase the effectiveness of science teaching and learning at school, and to reach out and educate a wider audience in a range of informal settings. The edited volume by Chiu (2015b) documents the emergence of the “Taiwan Experience” and lays the groundwork for a similar phenomenon happening in other fields and in other regions of the world. The implications for science education in Asia and beyond are discussed in detail.