ORGANIZING AND ATTENDING INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES

Abstract

Conferences, and especially international conferences, have become an integral part of a scientist’s activities. The attendees are, as a rule, academics and their graduate students, with the latter usually accompanying their supervisors. In addition to recent graduates undertaking full-time research, the term graduate student can also apply to part-time research students, including teachers who often adopt an action research approach, using their own classes as the focus of their studies. With most conferences, the emphasis tends to be on the presentation and discussion of the findings of recent research. However, in the case of science education, the dissemination of good practice can be considered equally important. Here, “there is little reason to do research, unless there is a pay-off in the classroom” (Hurd de Hart, 1991).