Science Education In Australia Research Articles

Medical Laboratory Science Education in Australia: An Academic Review

Medical Laboratory Scientists contribute to pathology organizations to provide medical testing for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. To meet patient medical testing demands in Australia, an employment projection of moderate growth by 2026 in Medical Laboratory Scientists is predicted. This requires an experienced academic workforce that is competent in Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) teaching supported by MLS research to graduate skilled MLS students to fill this void. However, there is little known about the academics that teach undergraduate MLS and whether there is a shortage of experienced educators and graduates. A mixed-method descriptive cross-sectional study design was used to identify 125 MLS academics to recruit and collect quantitative and qualitative survey data from 2019 to 2021. Over half of the survey respondents had never worked as a Medical Laboratory Scientist, and less than a third had an undergraduate degree in MLS. The breadth and depth of academic teaching and research interest were wide and covered both MLS and non-MLS themes. The retention of MLS academics remained stable. There was a meagre growth in new appointments over 3 years which was likely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic which also impacted student enrolment and graduate data. It is unclear from these results if the 2026 predicted growth will be achievable.

‘Transformative’: the threshold learning outcomes for science

The Science Threshold Learning Outcomes (TLOs) are a consensus set of academic standards for Australian university Science education. They were developed by Prof. Brian Yates and Prof. Sue Jones, supported by Dr Jo-Anne Kelder, during 2010–2011. The co-authors of this paper are key figures in Australian Science education, and in this manuscript, we have used a reflective semi-structured interview approach to describe the process of developing the Science TLOs and consider their subsequent effect on tertiary science education in Australia. This manuscript documents Sue and Brian’s impact on science curriculum through the lenses of leadership, community and practice. We have a twofold aim: first to draw lessons for harnessing consensus in scientific communities on the value and purpose of a tertiary science education, and second to celebrate the success of these influential and impactful leaders in our community. We demonstrate how work to develop the TLOs has transformed tertiary science education in Australia.

Remembering Peter Fensham, a founder of Australian environmental education

Emeritus Professor Peter James Fensham AO (26 October 1927–23 August 2021), was a major figure in science education in Australia and internationally for many decades. However, fewer people are awar...

Cognitive Demands of the Reformed Queensland Physics, Chemistry and Biology Syllabus: An Analysis Framed by the New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives

Learning objectives outline the knowledge and skills to be taught in a subject, thus signaling what is worth learning and what type of thinking is valued. The aim of this syllabus analysis is to determine the cognitive demand of learning objectives in the recently reformed Queensland physics, chemistry and biology syllabus and to analyse whether the development of students’ metacognitive and self-system thinking is embedded in the curriculum. Marzano and Kendall’s (2007) New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives was used as a theoretical framework for the analysis. Results show that cognitive levels of learning objectives are skewed towards the lower order thinking skills retrieval and comprehension in all three sciences, with less than 50% of learning objectives at analysis or knowledge utilisation level. Teaching metacognitive and self-system thinking were found to be implicit rather than explicit objectives of the new syllabi. There may be a mismatch between the policy goals of science education in Australia and the cognitive demands emphasised in the new syllabi, fuelling the debate about the right balance of lower order and higher order cognitive skills in secondary science. Implications for pedagogy and stakeholders in science education are discussed.

Primary teacher educators’ practices in and perspectives on inquiry-based science education: insights into the Australian landscape

ABSTRACT Initial teacher education (ITE) providers prepare graduates to be effective classroom practitioners, but there is little contemporary research capturing what this preparation actually looks like for primary (elementary) science education in Australia. Drawing on a broader study, this paper reports on teacher educators’ practices and perspectives about inquiry-based science education using questionnaire and interview data. The findings unpack five themes that make sense of how inquiry-based science education is understood and enacted in ITE. Implications are discussed in the form of ‘tensions’ for both inquiry-based science teaching and learning with recommendations for navigating these tensions suggested.

Exploring teachers’ relational agency in content–language teacher collaboration in secondary science education in Australia

The mainstreaming of English-as-an-additional-language (EAL) education necessitates collaboration between EAL teachers and content teachers to support EAL students’ learning in content areas. A question left open is how EAL and content teachers exercise relational agency through professional dialogue and collaborative practices. The current paper examined this question through the concept of relational agency grounded in sociocultural theory. Data include group interviews with and self-recorded collaborative conversations between an EAL teacher and a science teacher in planning and delivering science content in an Australian secondary school. Findings reveal professional dialogue and collaborative practices created mediational spaces for them to exercise relational agency. They actively worked together on a complex problem and shared motive, built and utilised common knowledge, and drew on relational expertise in responding to the demands of enhancing EAL students’ learning of language and content in the science classroom. Findings have implications for promoting teacher agency and quality collaboration.

EcoEd: Cohesive training and skill development for digital ecoscience tools

Digital research infrastructures such as data portals and virtual laboratories enable easier access to data and analytical tools. Such infrastructures are essential to deliver research excellence that drives innovation, but we also need to ensure that we have a skilled workforce that can use these infrastructures. Therefore, training and skill development of students, researchers, government practitioners and industry professionals is key to the long-term success of this investment. In Australia, a suite of digital infrastructures has been developed for environmental sciences to enhance our understanding of the natural world and making forward projections into novel conditions (e.g. Atlas of Living Australia, Biodiversity and Climate Change Virtual Laboratory, ecocloud, Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network). To provide users with a holistic approach to environmental spatial data discovery and analysis, these infrastructures have joined forces to deliver an exciting and innovative new training program. This program, called ecoEd, provides cohesive training and skill development to university lecturers, researchers and industry professionals enabling them to combine theoretical concepts with real-world applications. In this presentation, I will present how ecoEd was developed and the outcomes of the training sessions in which a group of ecoEd Champions absorbed ready-to-use lecture and workshop modules along with tools and knowledge on how to use the platforms. These resources can immediately be used in undergraduate courses that focus on topics such as ecology, biogeography, conservation biology, environmental management and spatial analysis as well as in stand alone workshops for researchers and practitioners. The training program aims to provide the Champions with the resources and knowledge required so that they can confidently re-deliver the lectures and workshops in their own institutions. As such, ecoEd is increasing the capacity of Australia’s environmental science community to advance science and deliver outcomes that underpin the sustainable use of our ecosystems using the latest advances in digital technologies. Moreover, it is enabling first-rate science education in Australia by supporting and nurturing our future scientists.

In the shadow of Sputnik: a transnational approach to Menzies support for science education in Australia, 1957–1964

This paper examines prime minister Robert Menzies decision to support science education in Australian schools in 1963. This was a landmark shift in policy for the federal government, but in many ways mirrors the decision of Eisenhower who brought down the National Defense Education Act (NDEA) in 1958. The paper uses a transnational approach to offer a new way of looking at the 1963 decision by focusing on the need for science education and the environment which supported science advocacy rather than the traditional interpretation of political expediency to court the Catholic vote.

Taking the lead in science education reform in NSW, 1957-1964

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine how Harry Messel, Harold Wyndham, L.C. Robson and Robert Menzies were instrumental in bringing about substantial change in science curriculum and infrastructure reform in NSW schools.Design/methodology/approach– The paper relies on substantial archival research including materials never before examined or used by historians of education history. The paper is divided into sections, the first uses teacher surveys and identifies problems with science teaching in 1958, a key year in education history and each section after that looks at the contribution of Wyndham, Messel, Robson and Menzies in driving a new direction for science education.Findings– The research found that Wyndham, Messel, Robson and Menzies each contributed a new dimension to the reform of science education in Australia. Their individual contributions were substantial, inter-related and interlocking but quite different. The paper argues that it is not adequate to look at science education reform purely as a means to introduce State Aid, rather science education reform was advocated as a means to ensure students had a scientific literacy going forward into a technologically driven future.Research limitations/implications– The research strikes a path through a vast primary source record to outline how individuals and science teachers more generally believed in science education reform as a mechanism to ensure students were better placed to enter a post-Sputnik world. As a result, known arguments around State Aid are only part of the story and not the main focus of the research. The aim is to supplement that knowledge by looking more at a broader picture for science reform for its own sake.Originality/value– This paper takes an original approach to the history of curriculum change by providing a broader context for the State Aid debate, that is, by focussing on individual contributions to science education reform for its own sake and because science education was deemed necessary for student literacy in the future. At the same time it uses archival material never before accessed or used to tease out this history. The teachers’ surveys provide a unique insight into conditions for science teachers in the late 1950s. This material has not been accessed before and it provides a context upon which to superimpose the impact of the contributions of Wyndham, Messel, Robson and Menzies.

LONG-TERM OUTCOMES OF EARLY CHILDHOOD SCIENCE EDUCATION: INSIGHTS FROM A CROSS-NATIONAL COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY ON CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE

The purpose of this research was to explore the long-term outcomes of either participating or not participating in early childhood science education on grade 6 students’ conceptual understanding of science. The research is situated in a conceptual framework that evokes Piagetian developmental levels as both potential curriculum constraints and potential models of efficacy. The research design was a multiple case study of grade 6 children from 3 schools in China (n = 140) who started formal science education in the third grade and grade 6 children from 3 matched schools in Australia (n = 105) who started learning science in kindergarten. The students’ understanding was assessed by a science quiz and an in-depth interview. The data showed that participating children from the high socioeconomic schools in China and Australia had similar understandings of science. Divergence between the medium and low socioeconomic schools, however, indicated that the grounding in early childhood science education in Australia may have placed these children at an advantage. Alternative explanations for the divergence, including the nature of classroom instruction in the two countries, are discussed.

Translating a “Relevance Imperative” into Junior Secondary Mathematics and Science Pedagogy

Inquiries into the state of mathematics and science education in Australia express the need to make curriculum and teaching practices more relevant and meaningful to students’ lives. This vision requires that teachers understand how relevance can enter the classroom in meaningful, appropriate, and subject-specific ways. In this paper I use interview data and classroom excerpts to explore junior secondary teachers’ responses to what I call a “relevance imperative”. The data shows that relevance is a multi-faceted construct that is constructed differently by teachers depending on their socio-historical experience with the subject culture. Implications for teachers teaching out-of-field and how we conceive of teachers as subject specialists are discussed, and suggestions for future research are given.

Ocean to outback: Léonie Rennie’s contribution to science education in Australia

In this article I initially borrow a metaphor from an art exhibition, Ocean to Outback, as a way to express my perspective on the contribution that Leonie Rennie has made to science education in Australia. I then consider Leonie’s contributions as overlapping themes. In particular, Leonie’s well-known research on gender and issues of equity in science education is explored as well as her highly regarded work on learning science in out-of-school settings. Curriculum integration is a less well-known aspect of Leonie’s research that also is considered. Leonie’s important contributions to research training and policy in science education are briefly described and commented on. Finally, I return to the metaphor of Ocean to Outback that reflects the enormity of the contribution that Leonie has made but also gives insight into her personal journey and qualities.

Peter Fensham—head, heart and hands (on) in the service of science education and social equity and justice

When Peter Fensham was appointed to the new Chair of Science Education at Monash University in 1967 he was the first Professor of Science Education in Australia, and, we think, may well have been the first such professor anywhere in the world outside USA. Over the subsequent 40+ years he has made/still makes remarkable and diverse contributions to science education research and practice, both within Australia and internationally (in, it seems, every ‘corner’ of the globe). As founder of ASERA and of science education research in Australia, Peter is clearly the most obvious and central Key Figure to include in this special issue of CSSE about the Australasian Science Education Research Association.

A Vision for science education: responding to the work of Peter Fensham

Section 1: Peter James Fensham (1927 - ) 1. Living the Dream: Peter James Fensham, Social Justice and Science Education Section 2: Science for All 2. Science for All, Learner-centred Science 3. Making Science Matter 'Science for All': Reflections from Indonesia Section 3: Science, Technology and Society: Learning for the Modern World 4. STS Education: a Rose by any other Name 5. Peter Fensham and the Movement for Science Technology and Society (STS) Education Section 4: Gender in Science Teaching 6. Science for All? Science for Girls? Which Girls? 7. Understanding Gender Difference in Science Education: Peter Fensham's Contribution Section 5: Theory and Practice of Science Teaching 8. Fensham's Lodestar Criterion Section 6: Politics of the Science Curriculum 9. Partners or Opponents: the Role of Academic Scientists in Secondary Science Education 10. Perspectives and Possibilities in the Politics of Science Curriculum Section 7: Peter Fensham's Reform Agenda: the 'Vision Thing' 11. Visions, Research, and School Practice 12. Changing the Script for Science Teaching Section 8: Peter Fensham's Impact on Science Education in Australia and Science Education Research around the World 13. Impact of Science Education Now and in the Future 14. The Importance of Being Able to See 'the Big Picture': a Personal Appraisal of Fensham's Influence on Science Education Research and Development

Enrolment trends in school science education in Australia

This paper describes the Australian education system and the changes which have occurred in the provision of science education in primary and secondary education in recent years. In particular, the introduction of science and technology as two of eight Key Learning Areas at the primary level is noteworthy in that it was the result of a national initiative in an education system which is State (and Territory) based. The enrolments in various science courses at the upper secondary school level are documented for the period 1980-1998. Trends in these enrolments are analysed in terms of the changing nature of the upper secondary school population, particularly with respect to retentivity and gender balance. Whilst considerable effort has been made to enhance the participation in science courses at the upper secondary level, little progress has been made in enrolments in comparison to the Year 12 cohort student numbers.

Enrolment trends in school science education in Australia

This paper describes the Australian education system and the changes which have occurred in the provision of science education in primary and secondary education in recent years. In particular, the introduction of science and technology as two of eight Key Learning Areas at the primary level is noteworthy in that it was the result of a national initiative in an education system which is State (and Territory) based. The enrolments in various science courses at the upper secondary school level are documented for the period 1980-1998. Trends in these enrolments are analysed in terms of the changing nature of the upper secondary school population, particularly with respect to retentivity and gender balance. Whilst considerable effort has been made to enhance the participation in science courses at the upper secondary level, little progress has been made in enrolments in comparison to the Year 12 cohort student numbers.

Junior secondary science education in Australia and the reform for public understanding of science: The case of the state of Victoria

(2000). Junior secondary science education in Australia and the reform for public understanding of science: The case of the state of Victoria. Melbourne Studies in Education: Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 163-178.

Practicalizing piaget at the asep guidelines conference 1970

‘To understand is to invent’ (Piaget, 1968). This paper examines the attempt of Les Dale, the Assistant Director of the Australian Science Education Project, to apply Piagetian theory to describing a theory of instruction for the Project. The historiographical method consists in examining and comparing instances of curriculum invention in science education in Australia starting with contemporary and retrospective accounts of the key figures (Fawns 1988a). This paper is a case record (Stenhouse, 1978) which synthesises public and personal material in the files collected by the author. It has been subjected to review by Dale and others including those to whom it was presented at A.S.E.R.A. It accompanies an earlier paper (Fawns, 1989) which assessed the social context of the Debate at the Guidelines Conference 20 years on.

A national approach to science education research

My aim in this paper is to develop a framework within which to consider educational research, with particular reference to science education in Australia. An examin. ation of this framework may enable us to identify areas where more research is indicated. This approach may assist us to assign priorities and to rationalise our limited resources, and may lead to the development of cooperative national projects.