Science Reform Research Articles

Library and Information Science in the Era of Network: Challenge, Reform and Innovation

With the continuous development of network technology, network technology has been applied to various fields of social life and production. The development of Library and information industry is advancing with the progress of technology and has brought about great changes. How to face the challenge of the progress of network technology for Library and information science, and how to promote the reform and innovation of Library and information science is an important problem at present. This paper aims to study the challenges faced by library and Information Science in the era of network, and look forward to the future reform and innovation direction and path of Library and information science through the current situation. In this paper, qualitative and quantitative research methods combined with CO word analysis are used to sort out the interdisciplinary research topics of Library and information science, as well as the changes and comparison of Library and information science research methods in the era of network, so as to get the development trend and direction of Library and Information Science in China. Research and analysis show that the main research of Library and information science focuses on "computer and computer application". With the continuous progress of network technology, there are more and more network technologies involved in Library and information institutions, which will produce more and more research topics. At the same time, the research methods of Library and Information Science in China are also out of date. Only by applying computer technology Only by applying it to the research and enriching the existing researchers to construct the network of information resources, can the data statistics and analysis be carried out with the highest efficiency, so as to realize the positive promotion for the discipline and other disciplines. In the network era, the future development of Library and information science requires us to make steady progress and comply with the new requirements and changes of the network era, so as to make the development of Library and information science more complete and adapt to the higher requirements of the network era.

Study on the Cultivation and Development Strategies of High-tech Enterprises in Shandong Province under the Background of the Transformation of Old Growth Drivers to New Ones

At present, the new round of scientific & technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating. The integration and penetration of information technology, biotechnology, new materials and new energy technologies are driving mass technological breakthroughs in almost all fields, bringing more opportunities for innovation and space for development. Under the background of accelerating scientific and technological revolution and industrial reform, the situation of scientific and technological work at home and abroad is still complex and grave. As an important means to guide enterprises’ scientific & technological innovation in China, high-tech enterprises are an important force to accelerate the transformation from old growth drivers to new ones and promote high-quality economic development. This paper analyzes the status quo and the problems in the cultivation of high-tech enterprises in Shandong Province, such as relatively small overall number of high-tech enterprises, insufficient reserve forces, lack of financing channels and low intensity of research & development investment. The difficulties existing in the process of promoting the cultivation of high-tech enterprises in the Shandong Province are deeply explored in the form of enterprise research and expert interview, the shortage of high-quality intellectual property reserves and financing difficulties faced by enterprises in each growth stage are analyzed, and practical policy suggestions are put forward.

The Scientific Status of Oriental Studies and the Fate of Russian Sinology

The objective duality of the world, man and mankind should correspond to the pairing of Oriental studies and Western studies, however, science and pedagogy know only the first, or orientalistics. This monopoly was the result of the formation of the modern system of sciences in the field of the global domination of the West, representing the East as its opposite — the Non-West and / or interpreting interaction with it in value-asymmetric categories of culture and barbarism. The publication in 2006 of the Russian translation of E. Said's famous anti-Eastern book “Orientalism” and the scientific and educational reform of 2010-2013, provoked a discussion of Russian orientalists in the sense of the concepts of the East and the scientific status of Oriental studies as a complex and supra-branch discipline, which is either a syncretic underscience, or a synthetic superscience. Similar problems have been discussed in Russian Sinology since the 19th, since of all the highly developed cultures of the East, Chinese is the most syncretic, and the science about it is the most synthetic. In traditional China, there were no divisions customary for the West into philosophy and religion / theologians, philosophy and science, humanitarian and natural disciplines, fine and applied arts, etc. Russian Sinology, created at the beginning of the 18th century, corresponded to this specificity, simultaneously with “cutting a window to Europe” to address similar government requests. In the USSR, it was divided into classical Sinology, which was concentrated in Leningrad, with an emphasis on philology and wen-yan, and Soviet Sinology, which was concentrated in Moscow, with an emphasis on history, social studies, and bai-hua. As a result, it was possible to find the most complete reflection in accordance with the standards of classical sinology of the 6-volume encyclopedia “Spiritual Culture of China” (2006-2010). The results of this convergence were also recorded by the 10-volume “History of China from Ancient Times to the Beginning of the 21st Century”, which largely inherited Soviet Sinology (2013-2017). After analyzing these historical phenomena, the article describes the main achievements and problems of Russian Sinology over the past decade and the challenges it faces in the light of the modern rethinking of the scientific status of all oriental studies.

Reform of the classification and evaluation system for scientific and technological innovation talents in the intelligent age

The existing evaluation system of scientific and technological talents is insufficient in classification and evaluation, lacks clear evaluation objectives and evaluation standards, and attaches too much importance to the achievements of scientific and technological talents and lacks the development potential of scientific and technological talents. In this paper, using intelligent era information technology reform of science and technology talent assessment system, to advocate and innovation for the purpose, classification of evaluation objects, evaluation criterion of explicit, the diversification of evaluation subject, evaluation method is scientific, the diversification of evaluation methods, to effectively identify innovative science and technology talents, motivating talents of science and technology innovation power and guide the scientific and technological personnel work to lay the foundation.

Cultural Components of Resilience of a Scientific Community

The article considers the concept of resilience of the scientific community, which is novel for the Russian science. By applying the conceptual analysis, the key message of the paper suggests that not only is the term instrumental in describing the traits of modern Russian science, but also it shows possible solutions of further development of science. The relevance of introducing this notion into scientific circulation is justified by both external and internal reasons, i.e. the science reform and the need to reflect on scientific and organizational processes, as scientific institutions face substantial challenges in adapting to new realities. The term is considered in a time continuum, as case studies focus on the following areas: scientists’ perceptions on funding, dilemmas of stable and competitive financing of science, organizational culture, the future image as seen by scientists and the interaction with the media. Comparative perspective is also included. Among the categories used to describe the functions and the status of scientific communities, collective subject is one that can focus on active role of such communities, on the interconnectedness and interdependence of individuals in a group, the ability of a group to show various forms of joint activity, the ability of a group to self-reflection – just like resilience. However, using subject for scientific needs seems not always suitable, for the sense it has covers not all the aspects that arise in conducting empirical research. Resilience, in contrast, suits perfectly. Another advantage the term resilience provides is that it seems to be appropriate for outlining the processes generated inside the scientific region, since it allows describing not only scientists as individuals, but also a community as a whole. This thesis is illustrated by a brief overview of research on the resilience of organizations and the resilience of families. The paper concludes with applying resilience to practice, as the state of the psychological community is assessed through the lenses of the crisis of resilience as opposed to the crisis of identity.

Francis Bacon y las terapias renacentistas del alma

En las siguientes páginas, adoptaremos la perspectiva de concebir la reforma de las ciencias de Francis Bacon como un método terapéutico del cultivo de las facultades intelectuales. Ampliaremos la mirada de esta línea de investigación del pensamiento baconiano, distinguiendo tres terapias renacentistas del alma en oposición (cada una de ellas con sus propios objetivos y principios para el cuidado del alma humana): La terapia de Eros, sostenida por filósofos (neo)platónicos del Renacimiento; la terapia del escepticismo, propuesta por Michel de Montaigne y, finalmente, la terapia del propio Bacon, expresada en su The Advancement of Learning y en el Libro I del Novum organum. Describiremos en nuestro estudio cada una de estas teorías, mostrando sus principales propuestas filosóficas, y explorando cómo se oponen entre sí. Finalmente, al comparar estas tres terapias renacentistas del alma, nuestra discusión busca lograr una mejor comprensión del nuevo método de Bacon para el conocimiento humano dentro de sus propios contextos intelectuales.

Continuity and Change: The Academic Teacher-Student Relationships in the Discourse on the Higher Education Reform in Poland

The article presents the results of research on the discursive models of academic relationships that come to the fore in the academic discourse on the reform of higher education in Poland. The aim of the research was to capture the ways of formulating knowledge about the reform of science and higher education and its subjects (i.e., academic teachers and students). The research material comprised 17 Polish academic monographs published in the years 2011-2014 (immediately after the introduction of the higher education reform in Poland). The direction of the analyses was emergent and inductive and was in line with the assumptions of post-Foucauldian discourse analysis. The theoretical basis was determined by the set of categories that constitute the phenomenon of the “formation of knowledge.” The main research problem was expressed by the question about what "truths" about the reform of science and higher education, its main subjects (academic teachers and students), and the relationships between them emerge from the analysed discourse. The research has led to the reconstruction of discursive models of academic teachers (traditional professor, docile workhorse, and hopeless practitioner) and students (student sensu stricto, client, disobedient citizen).

Succès et opportunisme dans les réflexions méthodologiques d’Hilbert et von Neumann

Although there does not seem to be a direct influence of utilitarianism on David Hilbert and his School, there are some pragmatic aspects in the foundational investigations of the father of modern axiomatics and of some of his scholars that can be read in utilitarian terms. In this article, I detail these aspects, focusing on the foundational research of Hilbert throughout his career and the later methodological reflections of John von Neumann on the mathematical sciences. As for research on Hilbert, much attention is paid to the role played by the notion of success as an alternative epistemological criterion for the introduction of powerful conceptual tools within axiomatic theories, as well as for the justification of these theories in the case where consistency proofs were not available. Ironically, after the discovery of Godel’s incompleteness theorems, success became a plain epistemological criterion for the justification of axiomatized sciences, together with all the conceptual tools contained therein. In his later foundational reflections, von Neumann, in particular, a former mathematician of Hilbert’s School, subscribed to an opportunistic methodology of science, i.e. a methodology that tried to coherently develop Hilbert’s thought on success, as well as his axiomatic reform of mathematical sciences. There seems to be, therefore, a clear evolutionary line that can be traced from Hilbert to von Neumann, which also reveals utilitarian aspects (broadly conceived) not only in science, but in axiomatics as well.

СИСТЕМА ПІДВИЩЕННЯ КВАЛІФІКАЦІЇ ВЧИТЕЛІВ ПРИРОДНИЧО-МАТЕМАТИЧНИХ ПРЕДМЕТІВ У ПІСЛЯДИПЛОМНІЙ ОСВІТІ УКРАЇНИ: НОРМАТИВНО-ПРАВОВЕ ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ

The article analyzes the regulatory and legal aspects of providing an advanced training for teachers of natural and mathematical subjects in Ukraine. Reforming the system of advanced training of teachers of natural sciences and mathematics in postgraduate education is defined as an important socio-economic resource of social and economic development of the state, due to the significant impact of natural and mathematical sciences on the country’s economy, rapid development of certain industries and new technologies. Attention is drawn to the need to update the regulatory and legal framework for professional development of teachers of natural sciences and mathematics in accordance with the educational sector reform, bringing it to today’s requirements and implementation of the “New Ukrainian School” Concept.The purpose of the article is to analyze the regulations and documents on professional development of teachers in postgraduate education of Ukraine. Based on the analysis of current regulations, the regulatory and legal support of the system of professional development of teachers of natural sciences and mathematics in postgraduate education of Ukraine, which is carried out at the international (international regulations); state (regulations of Ukraine); regional (regulations of the region); municipal (regulations of the city/district/OTH) and local (regulations of the educational institution that provides in-service training for teachers) levels is determined and classified.The conclusion is made on the relevance of a comprehensive update of the legal framework of the system of in-service teacher training in postgraduate education, which will allow for the systemic reform of natural sciences and mathematics education of Ukraine in the future. This is confirmed by the necessity to prepare and approve a new state target program for reforming science and mathematics education.It is suggested that the prospects of further explorations in the chosen direction will be the study of world experience, standardization of advanced training of teachers of natural sciences and mathematics in postgraduate education of Ukraine in accordance with European quality standards for postgraduate pedagogical education. For this purpose, it is expedient, in the author’s opinion, to take into account the constructive experience in the field of legislative regulation in the field of professional development of teachers in European countries.

Mahmudhoja Behbudiy leader of the Jadid reforms

We are witnessing that the ideas of our Jadids, who tried to raise Turkestan through enlightenment to the level of world civilization at the beginning of the 20th century, and who showed modern education as a solution to the problems of that period, have not lost their significance today. In this sense, the study of the works of the famous orientalist Mahmudkhodja Behbudi based on new scientific criteria plays an important role in the study of issues of interethnic communication, peaceful coexistence, education, culture, and religious tolerance. M. Behbudi in the late 19th and early 20th centuries began a systematic struggle against fanaticism, nationalism, voluntarism (rejecting the laws of nature and society and taking into account only desires), which negatively affects the development of Turkestan. To this end, he visited Saudi Arabia in 1899-1900 (according to some sources in 1902), Moscow and St. Petersburg in 1903-1904, to Kazan, Ufa, Nizhny Novgorod in 1906. As a result of these trips, after his return, he introduced various new scientific, secular sciences to his school, began to develop science in Turkestan using the scientific knowledge of that time. The fundamental scientific ideas of M. Behbudi on the issues of ensuring the prosperity and sustainable development of Turkestan through the reform of the education system as a solution to the problems remaining in the field of science, the development of not only religious but also secular sciences, as well as national tolerance in the public consciousness, contribute to the development of advanced sciences. Mahmudkhodja Behbudi reflects on the importance of the reform of secular sciences - public education, the need to establish a dialogue with culture, educational literature and textbooks of the Turkic peoples, in particular, he published such textbooks as "The Book of Literacy" (1904), "Introduction to the Geography", (1905), “Brief General Geography” (1906), “Children's Letter” (1905), “The Practice of Islam” (1908), “The History of Islam” (1909). He writes the dramas "Patricide" (1911), "Khatun with a white fan" (story), "The Grief of a child" (story), "Kitobat Al-atfol" (in the Old Uzbek language) and works related to education and training, as well as publishes his works in the printing house of the publishing house “Behbudiya”. Today, the significance of the ideas of the unity of the scientific heritage of Mahmudkhodja Behbudi is being studied as a valuable resource in the development of modern education in Turkestan in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Deliberative Democracy: Investigating the Longitudinal Impacts of Democratic Activities in Introductory Biology Courses

There have been multiple national calls for curricular reform in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), including a need to instill democratic skills in students. Democratic skill building can be embedded in STEM classrooms through intentional “deliberative pedagogies” that include communication, collaboration, and application of information. We developed and implemented a deliberative pedagogy, Deliberative Democracy (DD), for introductory majors and nonmajors undergraduate biology courses and took a longitudinal, qualitative research approach to understand students' experiences and perceptions of DD. We asked students to respond to open-ended survey questions regarding DD at two time points and conducted semi-structured follow-up interviews. All data were iteratively open-coded using content analysis. Students' perceptions of DD were lasting and generally positive, including self-reported themes related to DD promoting their awareness of the “real-world applications of science,” and increased “scientific literacy.” Negative perceptions of DD were largely related to issues with “group dynamics.” We detected differences between majors' and nonmajors' perceptions of DD, including in regard to scientific literacy and class time use. DD is a replicable pedagogy that can assist in instilling democratic skills in biology students.

Turning Up the Volume for Precision Herbal Medicine in Africa in an Era of COVID-19 and Planetary Biodiversity Loss.

What would it take in terms of the structural reforms in science, technology, and culture to cultivate sustainable therapeutic and preventive medicine innovations against zoonotic infections such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the 21st century? In May 2019, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services warned that "around one million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction." Biodiversity is essential for drug discovery and development. We are currently facing a dual challenge in therapeutics innovation with COVID-19 and loss in planetary biodiversity. Hence, there is an urgent need for new ideas and strategies for drug discovery as well as repurposed drugs for the COVID-19 pandemic. To these ends, the existing scholarship in, and the field of precision herbal medicine provide an alternative source for discovery of novel therapeutics against the novel coronavirus. We propose that the application of precision herbal medicine in Africa could usefully contribute to current efforts for therapeutics innovation for the COVID-19 pandemic, and beyond. The pandemic calls for interdisciplinary dialogue and turning up the volume for precision herbal medicine in Africa, and importantly, in ways informed by robust systems science as well as broad public engagement to codesign medicines in the 21st century.

Reframing Organizational Contexts from Barriers to Levers for Teacher Learning in Science Education Reform

ABSTRACT A growing body of work regarding teacher learning and implementation of reform has pointed to the significant role organizational contexts play in shaping teachers’ engagement with reform and their implementation decisions. Within science education, the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and standards reflective of the Framework for K-12 Science Education by states in the US and Canada resurfaces a need to attend to teachers’ contexts in designing for the integration of these standards. To date, however, instructional contexts are generally cast as barriers to implementation and there is a scarcity of conceptual tools being utilized that support mature understandings of teachers’ learning and decision-making in context. In this paper, we review prior literature on the relationship between teachers’ organizational contexts and their learning and implementation of reform in science and other disciplines. We then present a conceptual framework rooted in organizational theory that can support nuanced understandings of teacher learning and implementation and guide the development of teacher-learning contexts. We argue that using a lens of organizational sensemaking complicates the teacher–context relationship for learning and implementation of reform and recasts teachers’ contexts and local expertise as important levers for learning. We conclude with a set of practices to guide the design of professional learning contexts that reflects this framing and that may enable deeper engagement and learning of science teachers in the context of reform.

Replicability Crisis and Scientific Reforms: Overlooked Issues and Unmet Challenges

ABSTRACT Nowadays, almost everyone seems to agree that science is facing an epistemological crisis – namely the replicability crisis – and that we need to take action. But as to precisely what to do or how to do it, there are no firm answers. Some scholars argue that the current statistical inferential framework is inadequate and therefore we should focus on improving statistical methods. Some others claim instead that the only way to fix science is to change the scientific reward system, promoting quality rather than quantity of scientific publications. However, every positive proposal, either methodological or social, has a valid counterargument. Here I want to make explicit some reasons for explaining the persistence of disagreement on the solutions to the crisis. Focusing on issues which have been overlooked in the debate might help to better evaluate scientific reforms. With this regard, philosophical knowledge can be mobilised to take action in response to the replicability crisis.

Theory and Research on Tasks Revisited: Task as a Context for Students’ Thinking in the Era of Ambitious Reforms in Mathematics and Science

Informed by decades of research and standards-based policies, there has been a growing demand for high-quality teaching and learning in mathematics and science classrooms. Achieving these ambitious goals will not be easy; students’ opportunities for learning as shaped by the tasks they are assigned will matter the most. The purpose of this article is to revisit theory and research on tasks, a construct introduced by Walter Doyle nearly 40 years ago. The authors discuss how this construct has been used and expanded in research since then, argue for its applicability to contemporary challenges facing schools and classrooms today, and provide suggestions for future research.

The Bite Mark Dentists and the Counterattack on Forensic Science Reform

An editorial defending bite mark analysis by eleven forensic odontologists violates canons of logic and fails to refute scientific criticism of bite mark analysis. The logical and scientific failings of Epidermis and Enamel are explained as a defensive reaction to criticism grounded in the cognitive biases, organizational deviance, and cognitive dissonance of the odontologist- authors. Mercier and Sperber’s evolutionary interactionist theory of reasoning is posited as a basis for understanding the editorial’s irrational resistance to scientific criticism. Similar defensive, erroneous and irrational resistance to scientific critiques of problematic forensic science methodologies is observed elsewhere, and has been supported by some forensic analysts and prosecutors. Courts, when assessing whether flawed forensics techniques should continue to be admissible evidence, should consider the kind of flawed reasoning used by defenders of such methods.

About the science of pedagogy (how to avoid the transformation of pedagogical science into ideology)

Introduction. Numerous declarative official statements on the key role of education and scientific-pedagogical knowledge to ensure the well-being of the nation and the sustainable development of Russia in the modern world directly contradict the situation in this strategically significant social area. Thus, when merging two specialised academies (medical and agricultural sciences) with alma mater – the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), the Russian Academy of Education (RAE) was not included in the list of the elected representatives, which may indirectly demonstrate the “inferiority” of scientific pedagogy, calling into question its mission in the development of education.The aim of the article is to discuss the conditions and prerequisites for the possible loss of scientific status by pedagogy, its transformation into ideology and the replacement of pedagogical principles of education development by ideological ones.Methodology and research methods. In the course of the research, the methods of the system-based, retrospective and comparative analysis, synthesis and generalisation were employed.Results and scientific novelty. The author of the present publication considers and analyses the origins of scientific pedagogy and its essential definitions in the works of classical scholars – K. D. Ushinsky, L. N. Tolstoy, P. F. Kapterev, V. P. Vakhterov, K. N. Ventzel, etc. with contemporary interpretation of scientific status of pedagogical branch of knowledge. The paper highlights the impact on its reorganisation, content transformations of political and social processes, as well as transformations of governmental management structures. It has been proved that the reforms of the Russian science carried out in recent years consistently lead to the loss of scientific status by pedagogy, to the loss of academic principle “science should be managed by scientists” and to the transformation of scientific institutions into subordinate structures. Contrary to the Article 13 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which states that “no ideology may be established as state or mandatory”, there is a conversion of pedagogy into ideology. The classical pedagogical foundations evolutionary development inherent in scientific knowledge are deformed by current ideological attitudes, nullifying the constitutional guarantee (Article 44) on freedom of literary, artistic, scientific, technical and other forms of creativity. The depoliticisation of educational sphere and pedagogical science was planned at the end of the 20th century but it was abandoned. Therefore, the author emphasises the importance of such process.Practical significance. The assessments and conclusions presented in the article create methodological prerequisites for developing a discussion about the mission of pedagogical science in modern Russian society, adjusting scientific reforms and, as a result, freeing education from ideological violence.

Preschool Science Education: A Vision for the Future

Reforms in K-12 science education and their implications for PreK teaching, make this a critical time for developing a unified vision for early childhood science education. The goal of this essay is to provide a vision of what it might look like to leverage the best of both early childhood and K-12 science education reform efforts for meaningful science learning opportunities for young children. The essay suggests to best support young children, PreK science education must implement the holistic approach of early childhood education (i.e., physical, social-emotional, and cognitive development) while at the same time taking up the richer scientific disciplinary practices put forth in recent science reform efforts. Bringing together the strengths of both early childhood and science education will support young children in making sense of natural phenomena in the world around them while valuing them as capable science learners with prior experiences.

Research on New Business Supply Chain Curriculum Under the Framework of School-enterprise Co-construction

The economic status of China's supply chain industry is increasing day by day, which is very important for the cultivation of talents in the supply chain industry. By discussing the core content of supply chain curriculum of school-enterprise co-construction and the basic path of new business supply chain curriculum reform, this paper suggests that Chinese universities need to carry out in-depth development of talents with school-enterprise co-construction from the perspectives of the supply chain, the reform of science and technology industry, the integration of global industrial system and the balanced development of global industry. Meanwhile, from the perspective of China, extension in three levels of strategic layout with high starting point, high-level strategic integration and forward-looking technology application, should be carried out so as to lay a solid foundation for the leap-forward development of the supply chain industry and provide important talent support for China's global competitiveness improvement.

Computer Science for Equity: Teacher Education, Agency, and Statewide Reform

This paper reports on a statewide “Computer Science for All” initiative in Oregon that aims to democratize high school computer science and broaden participation in an academic subject that is one of the most segregated disciplines nationwide, in terms of both race and gender. With no statewide policies to support computing instruction, Oregon’s legacy of computer science education has been marked by both low participation and by rates of underrepresented students falling well-below the already dismal national rates. The study outlined in this paper focuses on how teacher education can support educators in developing knowledge and agency, and impacting policies and practices that broaden participation in computing. In particular, this research seeks to understand two questions. First, how do teachers experience equity-focused professional development in preparation for teaching an introductory course in computer science? Second, this study queries, how do teachers understand their own agency in influencing policies and practices that broaden participation in their specific schools and classrooms? To answer these questions, this inquiry employed a mixed method approach, drawing from surveys, observations, and interview data of two cohorts of teachers who participated in the Exploring Computer Science professional development program. To show the variety of school contexts and situate computer science education in local and place-based policies and practices, three teacher case studies are presented that illustrate how individual teachers, in diverse geographic and demographic settings, are building inclusive computer science opportunities in their schools. The findings reveal that centering equity-focused teacher professional development supports teachers in formulating the confidence, knowledge and skills that lead to inclusive computer science instruction, computer science content, and equity-centered pedagogy. The findings also highlight how school reform in computer science requires not only technical and pedagogical supports and structures, but also a systemic rethinking and reworking of normative and political forces that are part of the fabric of schools. Based on these findings of teacher knowledge and agency, the paper concludes with a presentation of particular statewide policies and practices that are generative in broadening belief systems and expanding political capacity of computer science education to reach all students.